7 times Rafael Nadal has given walkover to his opponent ft. Nick Kyrgios, Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as one of the best players in the sport, having won a record 22 Major titles and numerous other high-profile tournaments. However, the Spaniard is also one of the most injury-prone players, primarily due to his overly physical style of play.
Since making his tour debut two decades ago, Nadal has won 1063 matches and lost only 212, racking up an impressive 92 singles titles. However, he has also missed many big tournaments because of injury - be it withdrawing before the tournament or giving a walkover to his opponent.
Nadal has withdrawn from his Wimbledon semifinal against Nick Kyrgios to avoid aggravating a 7mm abdominal tear he endured during his quarterfinal win over Taylor Fritz. That marked the seventh time in his illustrious career Nadal gave a walkover to his opponent.
Until next time, Rafa 👋
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
#Wimbledon
On that note, here's a look at all seven instances when Rafael Nadal gave a walkover to his opponent:
Note: Walkover, unlike mid-match retirement, doesn't count as a loss in a player's career win-loss record.
#7 Nick Kyrgios - Wimbledon 2022 Semifinal
Nick Kyrgios became the latest beneficiary of Rafael Nadal's withdrawal when he received a free passage to his first Grand Slam final.
Kyrgios had beaten Cristian Garin in straight sets on Wednesday to set up a mouth-watering last-four clash with Nadal. The Australian had lost to Nadal in the second round in 2019 after famously stunning him in the fourth round on his competition debut in 2014.
"If I keep going the injury will get worse and worse - I feel very sad to say that"
Come back stronger, @RafaelNadal 💪
#Wimbledon https://t.co/5yeQ3myiux
Nadal decided against aggravating his injury by taking the court against Kyrgios with a severely compromised serve. He said in his press conference on Thursday:
"I made my decision because I believe I can't win two matches under these circumstances ... I can't serve. It’s not only that I can't serve at the right speed, it's that I can't do the normal movement to serve. So winning two matches, and with respect to 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 goal."
#6 Denis Shapovalov - 2019 Paris Masters Semifinal
Denis Shapovalov received a walkover from Rafael Nadal in the 2019 Paris Masters semifinals.
The Spaniard felt something in his abdomen while serving during his warm-up before the Shapovalov match. Tests revealed that it was a strain. Nadal returned to the court but found that the pain remained when he served.
The then reigning US Open champion decided to withdraw, with the ATP Finals in London on the horizon.
We regret to inform you that owing to R.NADAL's withdrawal, his match with D.SHAPOVALOV has unfortunately had to be cancelled
@denis_shapo thus qualifies for the final by virtue of a walkover
#RolexParisMasters https://t.co/hn7rU9bQtJ
He said about the same:
"We can call it unlucky, we can call it different things, but it happened today. And when things happen, the only thing that you can do is accept it. And even if it's a tough situation for me, I need to stay positive. I really hope it's nothing too big, and the doctors believe that it's nothing too big."
Shapovalov went on to lose to Novak Djokovic in the final.
#5 Roger Federer - 2019 Indian Wells Semifinal
Roger Federer reached the 2019 Indian Wells final without taking the court as his semifinal opponent Rafael Nadal withdrew due to a right knee injury.
The Mallorcan had enjoyed four straight-set wins to reach his first Indian Wells semis in three years and set up a mouthwatering clash with Federer. However, ahead of the pair's 39th clash on tour, Nadal felt something in his knee and decided to withdraw.
Explaining the decision to do so, Nadal said:
"As I said yesterday after the match, I felt that something happened in the knee. I wanted to try my best to be competitive today. I warmed up today in the morning, and I felt that my knee was not enough good to compete at the level that I need to compete, to play the semifinals of this event."
Rafael Nadal pulls out of Indian Wells semi-final against Roger Federer with injury https://t.co/2N4oKL85eV
Federer went on to lose to Dominic Thiem in three sets, his second straight defeat in an Indian Wells final.
#4 Filip Krajinovic - 2017 Paris Masters Quarterfinal
Filip Krajinovic can be indebted to Rafael Nadal for making a fairy-tale run to the 2017 Paris Masters final, as the Spaniard withdrew ahead of his quarterfinal with Krajinovic citing a knee injury.
Nadal said in a press conference:
“I have to pull out. Of course, it’s a very hard decision for me, especially — pulling out from any event is tough, but especially from here, from Paris. As I said a lot of times, it's the most important city in my career, without a doubt."
.@rafaelnadal has withdrawn from the #RolexPMasters due to injury. https://t.co/uDHqTpxaQZ
Krajinovic would go on to lose to Jack Sock in the final.
#3 Marcel Granollers - 2016 Roland Garros Third Round
Marcel Granollers received an unexpected gift on the eve of his 2016 Roland Garros third round match against his compatriot Rafael Nadal.
The then nine-time champion announced his withdrawal from the tournament after complaining of pain in his left wrist. He revealed that he played his previous match with an injection in his wrist to alleviate the pain.
Nadal said in a press conference that he decided to pull out to avoid aggravating his injury.
“I have to retire from the tournament because of problem in my wrist that I have had for a couple of weeks. Yesterday I played with an injection in my wrist. Last night I started to feel more and more pain. I did an MRI and an echography, and the results were not positive. It’s not broken, but if I keep playing, something will break in the next couple of days. Every day the image has gotten a bit worse."
He added that the tournament doctor advised him to withdraw if he didn't want to 'break' something:
“I came here to win the tournament, and that means playing five more matches," said Nadal. "According to the doctor, that would be impossible, as there is a 100 per cent chance something will break. I know that I cannot finish the tournament (this year). It’s part of life, and I hope to be back at Roland Garros for many years to come."
Rafael Nadal withdraws from Roland-Garros with wrist injury // Rafael Nadal déclare forfait (poignet) pour #RG16 https://t.co/xpD8OxOr9G
Granollers would go on to lose to Dominic Thiem in the fourth round, while Nadal returned to Paris to pick up five more titles, most recently this year.
#2 Andy Murray - 2012 Miami Semifinal
Rafael Nadal withdrew from a match for only the second time in his career when he pulled out of his 2012 Miami semifinal against Andy Murray.
Due to a knee issue that flared up again, the then 26-year-old decided not to aggravate it ahead of the claycourt season. Explaining his withdrawal from the tournament, Rafael Nadal said:
“It looks like it’s nothing really different than happened a few times in the past. Hopefully with a few days off and with the right treatment, I will be in the right conditions to start to practice on the clay. I know what to do to get better quick, and that’s what we’re going to try.”
Murray went on to lose to Novak Djokovic in the final.
#1 Irakli Labadze - 2004 Estoril Quarterfinal
Irakli Labadze received a walkover to the 2004 Estoril semifinals after a then 17-year-old Rafael Nadal withdrew because of a 'stress fracture in his left ankle'. Two years later, Nadal would beat his fellow left-hander in the pair's only meeting in the third round at Wimbledon.
It was Nadal's first withdrawal from a tournament in what turned out to be his only appearance in Estoril. That injury had major ramifications, as the Spaniard couldn't make his much anticipated debut at Roland Garros that year.
Of course, he would do so the next year, and the rest, as they say, is history, going on to win a record 14 titles.