"He should’ve tried to win and then hoped that the scans weren’t that bad and that he could recover" - Andy Roddick on Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from Wimbledon
Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick defended Rafael Nadal's decision to carry on playing in his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz despite suffering an injury.
The King of Clay withdrew from the grass-court Major ahead of his semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal injury.
Nadal faced some problems during the second set against Fritz and took a medical timeout. He battled through the match and ended up winning 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4). However, his injury caused enough damage for him to end his Wimbledon journey, thus giving Kyrgios a place in his maiden Grand Slam final.
Following Nadal's withdrawal, noted journalist Christopher Clarey opined on Twitter that Fritz should have been given a spot in the semifinals as a "lucky loser" due to the Spaniard's late withdrawal.
It happens so rarely, but I still think it's worth exploring. When a player withdraws this late in a Grand Slam or before a major tour final, the beaten player should be able to take the slot. In this case Fritz would play Kyrgios as a "lucky loser".
The show must go on
Roddick responded to the tweet by emphatically disagreeing with Clarey's opinion.
"No no no no no. You can’t lose in the semis and win a slam. No," Roddick wrote.
@christophclarey No no no no no. You can’t lose in the semis and win a slam. No
One Twitter user said that Nadal should have retired once he realized that the match would go into a fifth-set tie-break.
Roddick disagreed with their statement as well and stated that Nadal was right to try to win the match in the hope that he could recover in time for the semifinals. The former US Open winner added that it wasn't Nadal's job to "protect the other players."
"No …. he should’ve tried to win and then hoped that the scans weren’t that bad and that he could recover," Roddick wrote. "They weren’t and he can’t. Not his job to protect the other players."
@flubbermccubbin @christophclarey No …. he should’ve tried to win and then hoped that the scans weren’t that bad and that he could recover. They weren’t and he can’t. Not his job to protect the other players.
"If I couldn't beat him then I don't deserve to be in semis...simple as that"- Taylor Fritz on Rafael Nadal's withdrawal
Taylor Fritz also rubbished the notion that he should be in the semifinals due to Rafael Nadal's withdrawal. The 24-year-old said that he was "not looking for handouts" and did not deserve to be in the last four since he couldn't beat the Spaniard.
"Nah, not looking for handouts, if I couldn't beat him then I don't deserve to be in semis...simple as that," Fritz said.
Lezione di stile da parte di Taylor Fritz. https://t.co/9byScYuK3O
With Nadal having pulled out of Wimbledon, his dream of completing a calendar year Grand Slam is over. However, the Spaniard's withdrawal will give him a better chance of competing in up-coming events.
Nadal has a number of big tournaments to look forward to in the next couple of months, including the Cincinnati Masters, the National Bank Open in Montreal and, of course, the US Open at the end of August.