Rafael Nadal’s father is passionately instructed to his injured son during the Wimbledon quarter-final with Taylor Fritz, before the Spaniard fights on to win despite a stomachache
- Rafael Nadal was visibly uncomfortable during his clash against Taylor Fritz
- Spaniard had bands around his stomach and could be seen shivering while playing
- He took a medical time out and his father Sebastian gestured passionately at him
- Some speculated that he told his son to quit, but the exact meaning is uncertain
Rafael Nadal‘s father passionately instructed his son as the legendary Spanish star struggled with an injury in the Wimbledon quarterfinals before fighting back to win.
Sebastian, 59, was caught on camera demonstratively telling his son something while suffering from a stomach ache.
Some speculated that he instructed Rafa to stop playing because the injury appeared serious.
Rafael Nadal’s father Sebastian was passionately instructed
Nadal has pain in his stomach and fought on in his match with Taylor Fritz
Nadal took a medical time-out midway through the second set after initially calling the coach up.
The 35-year-old was open about suffering a stomach problem before his quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz.
And in the match, the problem flared up again, allowing the 24-year-old American to seize the initiative by claiming the first set.
Nadal fought back in the second to make it 7-5, before Fritz took the lead again in the fourth and won 6-3. Nadal unbelievably took the deciding set in a tiebreak.
Nadal took a medical time out in the second set and let the trainer come on
During his injury care earlier in the game, commentator Pat Cash said, “It’s not just the serve, every time you hit the ball it hurts your abs.”
While fellow commentator Feliciano Lopez added: “I never find it easy to play against someone who is injured or against someone you think is injured. I’m sure Taylor is now thinking, ‘Is he really hurt? How big is the injury?’
“There are probably a lot of things going through his mind right now. It is not easy. It’s very hard to deal with, you know. I am very curious how he will react.
When asked about the strapping after his previous match, Nadal said: “Thanks for the question, but I’ll say last.
Nadal showed his fighting spirit by continuing to play despite the pain he was in
“On the other hand, I’m a little tired of talking about my body. It’s not that I don’t want to answer your question, but at the same time sometimes I’m tired of myself, all the problems I have. I’d rather not talk about that now. Sorry about that.
“But I’m in the middle of the tournament and I have to go through, right? All respect to the rest of the opponents. I just do my best every day. For now, I’m healthy enough to carry on and fight for the things I want.’
The main concern for Nadal before Wimbledon was his chronic foot problem, but the abdomen is bothering him more and he will need to recover as best he can before taking on Nick Kyrgios in the semi-final.