Nick Kyrgios has paid tribute to Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard was forced to pull out of Wimbledon ahead of their semi-final match.
Nadal suffered an abdominal injury during his quarter-final clash with Taylor Fritz, but pushed through the pain to reach the semi-finals. However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has revealed he tore his abdominal muscle and would not be able to compete against Kyrgios.
"I have tried a lot of times in my career to keep going but it is obvious the injury will get worse," he admitted. And Kyrgios sent a classy message to Nadal on Instagram, with his withdrawal meaning the Australian will face either Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie in the final.
Kyrgios, who will be playing in his first grand slam final, wrote: "different players, different personalities. @rafaelnadal I hope your recovery goes well and we all hope to see you healthy soon till next time…."
Nadal also said he did not "want to go out there and not be competitive", adding: "I was thinking the whole day I was thinking about the decision to make but I think it doesn't make sense to go, even if I try through my career to keep going.
"It is very tough circumstances but it is obvious if I keep going the injury will be worse and worse. I never thought about the calendar slam, I thought about my diary and my happiness.
"I make the decision because I don't believe I can win two matches under the circumstances. It is not only I can't serve at the right speed, it is I can't do the normal movement to serve.
"After that to imagine myself winning two matches, and for respect for myself in some way, I don't want to go out there and not be competitive enough to play at the level I need to play to achieve my goals.
"For me the most important thing is happiness, not titles, even if everyone knows what I have done to get here. I can't risk the match and risk two or three months out of the competition. It is my decision, I have to live with that and I can't say another thing. I am very sad."
