Rafael Nadal’s team implored him to retire after the Spaniard had treatment on an abdominal issue in the second set of his thrilling quarter-final win against Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon on Wednesday. With an unbeaten record at major tournaments in 2022 on the line and just three retirements in his past decade on Tour, however, that decision was never going to sit well with the two-time champion.

“They told me I needed to retire from the match,” said Nadal in his post-match press conference after his dramatic 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(10-4) win. “For me it was tough to retire in the middle of the match. [It was] not easy, even if I had that idea for such a long time.

“I did it a couple of times in my tennis career. It’s something that I hate to do. So, I just kept trying, and that’s it.”

Clearly in discomfort and unable to serve at full power on Centre Court, Nadal showcased his trademark resilience to rally and clinch a stunning four-hour, 20-minute victory. He admitted that it was less the medical time-out and more his desire to see things through to the end that enabled him to carry on.

“They can’t do much [in the medical time-out], honestly,” said the 36-year-old. “The doctor came, gave me some anti-inflammatories and analgesic. The physio just tried to relax the muscle there a little bit, but it’s difficult. Nothing can be fixed when you have a thing like this. That’s it.

“I just wanted to give myself a chance. [It is] not easy to leave the tournament, not easy to leave Wimbledon, even if the pain was hard.”

It is the second time in the space of four months that Nadal was facing Fritz carrying an injury. The 92-time tour-level titlist played with a fractured rib in his championship match defeat to the American at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March. Just as on that occasion, his determination to see things through was strong, regardless of the eventual outcome of the match.

“I wanted to finish,” said Nadal. “Doesn’t matter. I prefer to win with victory or defeat. That’s what I did, I fought. I’m proud of the fighting spirit and the way that I managed to be competitive under those conditions.”

Any potential retirement would not only have cost Nadal his shot at a third Wimbledon crown. The Spaniard is also chasing a historic Grand Slam after he won the Australian Open in January and Roland Garros in June. That goal will be put to the test again in a semi-final clash with Nick Kyrgios, and Nadal was not jumping to any conclusions about his fitness for Friday’s match.

“Tomorrow I‘m going to have some more tests… I had these feelings for a couple of days. Without a doubt, today was the worst day. There has been an important increase of pain and limitation.

“I need to know different opinions and I need to check everything the proper way. That is something more important than winning Wimbledon, that is health. Let’s see how this goes.”

Taylor Fritz came close to the biggest win of his career on Wednesday at Wimbledon against Rafael Nadal. But instead of advancing to his first major semi-final, the American lost against the 22-time major winner in a final-set tie-break and walked off court shattered.

“It was a tough match. I think I did some things well and some things not as good. In the end he was just really, really, really good,” Fritz said. “Certain parts of the match I felt like maybe I kind of just needed to come up with more, do more. I left a lot up to him, and he delivered. It was a great match. Honestly, probably hurts more than any loss I’ve ever had.”

The 24-year-old showed his dismay as he walked to the net to shake hands with Nadal, and took a moment at his chair before leaving the court.

“After the match was over, I was sitting there and I felt like crying, like I wanted to cry,” Fritz said. “I’ve never felt like that ever after a loss. I’ve never felt like I could cry after a loss. Just that’s telling enough to know that this one hurt more than any other one’s hurt before.”

The good news for Fritz is that he pushed the two-time Wimbledon champion to the absolute limits in his first major quarter-final. Although he was unable to claw past the Spaniard, Fritz showed he is capable of testing the best in the sport on tennis’ biggest stages.

“Taking a step back, it’s nice. I made my first quarter-final. I’m moving in the right direction,” Fritz said. “I don’t know. I would look at my form and how I feel like I’ve been playing and my draw, and I would expect myself to make the quarter-finals. It’s a great achievement, I’m really happy.

“I really, really wanted this match. So it’s tough right now I guess to look at the bright side of things because I really, really wanted this one.”

Earlier this year, Fritz defeated Nadal in the BNP Paribas Open final to lift his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy. The American carried confidence from that victory into their clash at SW19, but was unable to replicate the result.

“At Indian Wells I truly believed that I could win, and I truly believed that I could beat him. The same goes for today. It’s kind of just the attitude you have to have,” Fritz said. “These guys, they’re so good at Slams. But a lot of beating them is also kind of beating the name you’re playing against, just having that belief that you can do it.

“I think that’s a big hurdle to get over. I think that’s something that has definitely changed for me more recently, is that I do believe they’re beatable. But it still takes a hell of an effort to be able to beat them.”

Rafael Nadal’s 2022 Grand Slam story served up another dramatic chapter on Wednesday at Wimbledon, where the Spaniard held off a high-powered performance from Taylor Fritz to reach the semi-finals in London.

The 22-time major champion Nadal left the court for a medical timeout in the second set and appeared to be struggling with an abdominal issue midway through the pair’s four-hour, 20-minute quarter-final encounter. Yet the second seed showcased trademark resilience, raising his aggression to keep points short and producing a high-class deciding-set tie-break to seal a 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(10-4) victory.

“It was a tough afternoon against a great player,” said Nadal in his on-court interview. “All the credit to Taylor, he has been playing great during the whole season. From my personal side, it was not an easy match at all, so I’m just very happy to be in the semi-finals.

“The body in general is fine. In the abdominal [area] it is not going well, being honest. I had to find a way to serve a little bit differently, for a lot of moments I was thinking maybe I would not be able to finish the match, but I don’t know. The court, the energy [helped me].”

Nadal, who won the Australian Open in January and Roland Garros in June, is seeking to keep his bid for the 2022 Grand Slam alive at the grass-court major. His next assignment in London is a semi-final with Nick Kyrgios, after the Australian was a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(5) winner in his quarter-final matchup against Cristian Garin.

“I hope to be ready to play,” said Nadal. “Nick is a great player on all surfaces, but especially here on grass. He’s having a great grass-court season and it’s going to be a big challenge. I need to be at 100% to keep having chances and that’s what I am going to try to do.”

Fritz reeled off five games in a row from 1-3 to clinch the first set as Nadal’s physical struggles undermined what had been a bright start from the Spaniard on Centre Court. Yet despite Nadal still appearing in discomfort, particularly when serving, after his medical time-out at 4-3 in the second set, the second seed stayed aggressive to break Fritz’s serve twice and level the match.

Fritz, bidding to become the youngest American man to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon since Andy Roddick in 2005, looked to have regained control of the match after he capitalised on some uncharacteristic Nadal errors to break twice and ease to the third set. More solid groundstrokes earned him another break in the opening game of the fourth, but the Spaniard’s tactic of going for his shots continued to pay off as he came out on top in a topsy-turvy fourth set that featured five breaks of serve.

The match remained in the balance throughout an engrossing final set, but it was Nadal who raised his game under the pressure of the deciding-set tie-break. He raced to a 5/0 lead that proved unassailable, sealing a marathon win to avenge his loss to Fritz in the BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells in March.

Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz put on a show on Wednesday evening at Wimbledon, with the Spaniard prevailing in a five-set thriller to reach his eighth Wimbledon semi-final.

While the pair exchanged blows on Centre Court, a vocal crowd watched on in support, gasping in astonishment at the shotmaking that was on display at SW19. After the clash, ATPTour.com spoke to some of the lucky fans who had witnessed Nadal clinch another memorable victory on the lawns in London.

“I thought it was absolutely amazing,” said Andre Richards [below right], aged 63 from London. “When it started we thought it was going to be Taylor’s match. Then as it went on it was so even. Over the 35 years I have been coming, that was there with the Nadal and Roger Federer final that I went to in 2008. Nadal and Federer was probably the greatest match ever and that match tonight really rivals it. It was amazing.”

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Babs Smith from Lincolnshire, England, watched the match donned out in fancy dress. For her, the victory meant a lot.

“What a match. I was chuffed for Nadal. It was point for point. The atmosphere was crazy and enthralling throughout,” Babs [below left] said. “Anybody could have won and nobody deserves to lose but experience came through on the day. Nadal is a legend and we are so happy.”

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With fans attending The Championships from around the world, Nadal’s epic victory made the trip extra special for Trixie White from the Philippines and Harrison Bell from Texas, United States.

“I feel so fortunate to have been here today,” first-time visitor Trixie [below right] said. “It was my birthday gift from my partner [Gwyn, below left]. It was so intense, I couldn’t relax when watching. I was so nervous for Rafa. I couldn’t breathe at one point, I had to put my oils on. The energy in the crowd was amazing. It is my first time here and what a great match. I was just thinking, ‘I can’t believe I am watching Nadal!’. I have never been in a crowd like this and it was so amazing and electric.”

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“I was rooting for Nadal and I was so happy for the ending,” said 18-year-old Harrison [below]. “It was so close. I had my moments where I was questioning if he would come through, but he delivered. It was my first time watching him, I am a big fan.”

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While the crowds roared the players on, Sue Jones from Oxfordshire said that she watched on in amazement as she tried to comprehend what she was witnessing.

“I don’t know how they do it. I don’t know how they have got the stamina, the determination to get through those tight situations,” Sue said. “I thought Nadal would win it, but I didn’t know how because he was always coming from behind. He always finds a way and he used his experience to come through. It was a fabulous match.”

For Puneed Jed from India, Nadal’s victory made his week.

“Unbelievable! What more could you want. From the end of the third set, Nadal never let Fritz get away. It was an amazing match,” said the 34-year-old Puneed [below left]. “What else could you want than seeing Nadal in that form. After Australian Open, Roland Garros and now Wimbledon, I hope for a calendar Grand Slam. Loads of people were cheering for Rafa. He made everyone’s day and my week.”

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Top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are through to the Wimbledon semi-finals for the second straight year following a dramatic, five-set victory Wednesday at The Championships. The American-British pairing outlasted 12th seeds Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.

Ram-Salisbury sealed victory with their fourth break of the match in its final game, confirming their progress to their seventh Grand Slam semi-final as a team, all since 2020. Champions at the 2020 Australian Open and the 2021 US Open, the pair is bidding for its first final at doubles World No. 1 Salisbury’s home major.

The top seeds created the bulk of the chances in the three-hour, 17-minute contest, finishing four-of-nine on break points while dropping serve just once on three break points against. But their French opponents dominated the second-set tie-break and capitalised on their lone break of the match in the fourth set to force a decider on No. 2 Court.

Late in the second set, Ram-Salisbury thought they earned a break of serve to move ahead 6-5, but a successful challenge saw the call overturned, giving the Frenchmen new life. While Mahut and Roger-Vasselin used that momentum to run away with the ensuing tie-break, Ram-Salisbury snapped back to take the first five games of the third set.

After surviving the five-set test, Ram-Salisbury will meet 14th seeds Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in a rematch of this year’s Australian Open semi-finals. The Australians won that match 6-3, 7-6(9) before falling to countrymen Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios in the final.

Ebden/Purcell— who won three five-setters to open their Wimbledon campaign — enjoyed straightforward progress in their Wednesday quarter-final.

They eased past seventh seeds John Peers and Filip Polasek 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to reach their fifth tour-level final of the season. Ebden/Purcell converted on four of their nine break chances in the match while saving all six break points against them.

Both semi-finalists are seeking their second tour-level titles of the season. Ebden/Purcell were victorious in Houston, claiming their first ATP Tour title as a team in April, while Ram/Salisbury won the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters later that same month. The top seeds have won six tour-level titles since teaming up in 2019.