"When you're in the thick of playing, you have no idea how it will feel the next day" - Tracy Austin dissmisses idea of Lucky Loser in the main draw of Grand Slams in lieu of Rafael Nadal's withdrawal
Rafael Nadal, who has a win-loss record of 19-0 at this year's Grand Slams, announced his withdrawal from the semifinals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Thursday. An abdomen injury forced the Spaniard to make this decision a day before he was scheduled to play against Nick Kyrgios.
The entire episode has resulted in the sudden rise of a heated debate about whether or not Grand Slam tournaments should introduce the Lucky Loser system.
Some experts and fans felt that Taylor Fritz, who lost to Nadal in the quarterfinals, should have gotten another chance and replace the Spaniard in the semifinals. They also suggested that the 36-year-old should have retired mid-match if he knew he wouldn't play further.
Former American player Andy Roddick didn't seem impressed as he took to social media to shoot down the idea. Roddick stated that a player who loses in the semifinals should not win the Major and that Nadal is not responsible for protecting other players.
"No no no no no. You can’t lose in the semis and win a slam. No …. Rafa 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," Roddick said.
Agreeing with Roddick, former World No. 1 Tracy Austin of America said that an injury is often less serious than it initially seems.
Couldn’t agree more! When u are in thick of playing,u have no idea how it will feel next day. Many times an injury feels better than u thought it would.U get to continue. Can u imagine Rafa pulling out mid match, then felt good enough to play, half way to calendar grand slam? No!
Couldn’t agree more! When u are in thick of playing,u have no idea how it will feel next day. Many times an injury feels better than u thought it would.U get to continue.Can u imagine Rafa pulling out mid match, then felt good enough to play, half way to calendar grand slam? No! twitter.com/andyroddick/st…
Pundits also argued that Nick Kyrgios or any other player in his shoes should not get to play the finals of a Grand Slam without winning a semifinal.
"If I couldn't beat him, I don't deserve to be in semis" - Taylor Fritz on QF loss against Rafael Nadal & idea of Lucky Loser
Rafael Nadal fought through his injury and changed his gamestyle to beat Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) in the quarterfinals. Although quite a lot of tennis followers wished for Fritz to be given another chance after the Spaniard pulled out of the event the following day, the American himself disagreed with the notion.
“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
Two-time Wimbledon winner Nadal leads 2-1 head-to-head against Fritz.
After his withdrawal from the semifinals, Nick Kyrgios received a walkover to the final, where he will face Novak Djokovic for the chance to win a maiden Major title.