Nick Kyrgios’ priceless message for Rafael Nadal after Wimbledon withdrawal put Aussie into maiden Grand Slam final

Rafael Nadal vs Nick Kyrgios, in his first Slam semifinal, was billed as one of the most-awaited clashes on this year’s relatively weak Wimbledon field. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, as the legendary Spaniard announced on Thursday that he would be pulling out of the tournament due to an abdominal tear which has been bothering him since the tournament began last week. Also Read | Rafael Nadal’s ‘dangerous’ revelation after Wimbledon withdrawal announcement: ‘…that I end my tennis career’

Nadal played through injury and pain to beat exciting young American Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal over five sets, a match which was another example of Nadal’s warrior-like mentality and refusal to go down beaten. In a contest where both players were slightly hampered by injury, Nadal’s forehand took over as he won the match tiebreak in the fifth set. This was several hours after he was forced to take a medical timeout in the second set, and looked on the verge of retiring from the match.

Recognizing that Nadal’s forced withdrawal would mean not only his first Slam final but also the tennis-watching community being denied the opportunity to watch a high-quality and high-stakes match, Kyrgios took to Instagram to share his commiserations with Nadal. There has been bad blood between the two in the past, but the Aussie put that aside to wish Nadal well.

Nadal has been contending with injuries throughout his career, and has a chronic foot issue which he has played through on his way to 22 Grand Slam titles. This included the Australian Open and French Open this year, and with this withdrawal, his dream for a calendar year Grand Slam also fades.

It’s a great shame, since the stylistic and temperamental differences between himself and Nick Kyrgios, as the Aussie highlights in the Instagram post, promised to make the match one for the ages, with the chance of Novak Djokovic lying in wait in the final.

Nadal and Kyrgios had previously met at Wimbledon on two occasions, sharing the spoils 1-1. Kyrgios beat Nadal in their first ever encounter in 2014, when Kyrgios was still a teenager and playing in the biggest match of his career. This semifinal would have held even greater weight, but Kyrgios must now turn his attention to preparing for the final, where the winner between Djokovic and Brit Cameron Norrie will face him on Sunday.

Kyrgios has never met Djokovic at Grand Slam level before, but holds a 2-0 advantage in their head-to-head, albeit both victories coming in Djokovic’s injury-affected 2017 season. The volatile but supremely-talented player from Canberra will like his chances against the Serb.