July 07, (THEWILL) – Rafael Nadal battled back to defeat Taylor Fritz in a gruelling quarter-final, despite being injured, allowing him to continue his quest for the historic Calendar Slam in 2022.
With a final score of 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6, it required all of Nadal’s renowned mental fortitude and physical fortitude to prevail and advance to the semi-finals, where he will face Nick Kyrgios in what should be an exciting match-up.
After dropping the first set on Wednesday afternoon, Nadal experienced an abdominal strain that caused him significant pain in the middle of the second set. The Spaniard admitted that he had considered giving up, but he forced himself to continue playing despite the pain.
After amazing victories at the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year, the second seed, who was vying for his third Grand Slam singles championship in a row, requested a medical timeout at 4-3 in the second set.
Nadal had to leave the court to receive treatment in the locker room and he was still unable to walk with ease that it seemed like just a matter of time before the inevitable handshake at the net. But, Nadal persisted displaying his customary resolve and tenacity. He attacked the American from the back of the court with everything he had and triumphed after an epic five-setter.
