Rafael Nadal moves on to the semifinals where he’ll face Nick Kyrgios.
After four hours, 21 minutes and umpteen plot twists, Nadal nosed past the 24-year-old Californian Taylor Fritz in the closing super-tiebreaker to win 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4), to reach a loud semifinal coming Friday against the loud Australian Nick Kyrgios.
Nadal, who won the French Open last month on a painful foot he wasn’t sure could function, won this one through the kind of familiar match that wrings familiar mass speculation about his condition. It clearly sapped some caliber from his backhand and his serve, the latter often laced with uncharacteristic meekness. But he found his way through an opponent whose big year has brought him a world ranking of No. 14, if an opponent who was fantastic but not quite airtight enough.
RAFA NADAL, PATRIMONIO DEL DEPORTE MUNDIAL
A semifinales de Wimbledon tras ganar a Fritz en un partido histórico.#WimbledonMovistarPlus pic.twitter.com/Y6wkD3BOzL— Tenis en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarTenis) July 6, 2022
After four hours and 20 minutes, Rafael Nadal defeats Taylor Fritz to advance to the men’s semifinals at Wimbledon 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lx0MOGszRd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 6, 2022