Italian tennis star Fabio Fognini stepped back in the face of suggestions that Rafael Nadal was lying about his injury before the 22-time Grand Slam champion officially withdrew from Wimbledon.
Nadal announced on Friday at a press conference (AEST) that he could not play against Nick Kyrgios in the semi-finals due to a severe abdominal rupture, which gave the Australian a clear step on the scoreboard.
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Nadal overcame a debilitating foot injury to win the French Open last month, but this time there had been no repetition of that miracle. He said that after beating Taylor Fritz in the Wimbledon quarter-finals he wasn’t sure if he would be fit to face Kyrgios, and the 36-year-old player’s sad prophecy turned out to be true.
After Christmas comments about his injury following the victory over Fritz, Fognini, who is never far from the headlines, often for the wrong reasons, suggested on Instagram that Christmas might not be telling the truth about the extent of his ailments. physical.
“Sure. Guys stop believing in what you read, please !!!” he wrote on Instagram, about a screenshot of a Christmas article talking about his injury.
However, Fognini later clarified his position, accusing the media of taking him out of context.
“Dear journalists, I would like to tell you that I have never, ever (negatively) referred to a champion like Rafa. And I could never afford it, “Fognini wrote.
“It’s time to stop writing and report everything you want wrong. I wish Rafa and his team good luck in this Wimbledon final. “
Fognini’s good wishes didn’t have the desired impact, as Nadal soon confirmed everyone’s worst fears by retiring altogether from Wimbledon.
His retirement means Kyrgios will play his first Grand Slam final, while Novak Djokovic has paved the way for him to claim his 21st major title, should he win his semi-final against Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
Fabio Fognini seemed to be reversing. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP) Source: AFP
The Serb has had to come back from two sets ahead of 10th Italian seed Jannik Sinner in his quarter-finals, but the 35-year-old has finished the game looking fresh, even getting a scandalous winner while doing the splits.
Djokovic has a streak of 26 straight Wimbledon victories as he seeks to tie with Pete Sampras in seven titles at the All England Club, just one behind Roger Federer’s men’s record.
He is also betting on reaching the 32nd Grand Slam individual record final, which would put him one ahead of Federer.
If he wins the title, he would reach 21 Grand Slam titles, passing Federer and just one behind Christmas in the men’s race to be crowned the best of all time.
Djokovic, who defeated Norrie in his only previous meeting, is ready for a partisan crowd against the local hero.
“For him, there’s not much to lose,” he said. “Every win from now on is a big problem for him.
“I know that. But, you know, I practiced a few times. I know his game well. It’s been around. Of course I will do my homework and prepare ”.
The Christmas march has opened the door for Djokovic. (Photo by Andrew TOTH / various sources / AFP) Source: AFP
Kyrgios will retire, deprived of the chance to repeat his famous 2014 victory over Christmas at Wimbledon, which the Spaniard avenged five years later.
The Australian toured his round of 16 match against Chilean not top seed Cristian Garin in straight sets to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal.
The Kyrgios tournament has been defined by making impressive shots, but also by his family upsets on the court, including the demand that Tsitsipas be kicked out of the championship for hitting a ball to the crowd.
The 40th-ranked player has been fined a total of $ 14,000 and now has the added distraction of a court appearance in Australia, related to a charge of assault.
But he said he was proud to have come this far at Wimbledon.
“Obviously, I thought last year, year and a half, if I wanted to play more: I lost love, I lost fire, I lost the spark.
“Then some things changed in my life … I just rediscovered that I have a lot of people who want me to play, for whom I play.
“I have a lot of things left in the tank. I feel like I’m probably playing one of my best tennis games, feeling great mentally.”
Kyrgios, who has beaten Djokovic in both clashes, will love who he plays with on Sunday.
In the meantime he has to look and wait.
Can Nick Kyrgios get to the end? (Photo by Shaun Botterill / Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
With AFP