Two-time champion Rafael Nadal pulled out of his Wimbledon semi-final on Thursday night due to a muscle tear in his stomach.
The 36-year-old Spaniard was scheduled to play the unseeded Australian Nick Kyrgios on Friday afternoon for a place in Sunday's men's singles final.
Kyrgios, 27, who announced himself on the world stage in 2014 when he beat Nadal in the last-16 at the tournament, will play either six-time champion Novak Djokovic or the 10th seed Cameron Norrie.
Nadal visibly struggled with the injury in a gruelling five-set win against 11th-seeded American Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
The Spanish sports daily newspaer Marca reported on Thursday that Nadal had a seven-millimetre tear to his abdomen but had still intended to play.
Acceptance
However, during a hastily convened press conference on Thursday night at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in south-west London, he confirmed he could not continue in his quest to add a 23rd Grand Slam tournament to his massive trophy cabinet.
"I have to pull out of the tournament. As everybody saw on Wednesday I have been suffering with the pain in the abdominal area," he said. "I have a tear in the muscle."
Nadal took a medical time-out in the second set of his match. But he soldiered on to win 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7/6 in four hours and 21 minutes.
In June, Nadal beat Casper Ruud to collect a 14th French Open crown. In January, he recovered from two sets and a break down to overcome Daniil Medvedev in the final at the Australian Open.
