Nick Kyrgios will contest the Wimbledon 2022 gentlemen's singles final.
The 27-year-old Australian has received a walkover in the semifinals, with second seed Rafael Nadal unable to compete due to an abdominal injury.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Nadal made the decision today, ahead of tomorrow's semifinals.
"I think it doesn't make sense to go (on)," said a disappointed Nadal. "Even if I tried lot of times during my career to keep going under very tough circumstances, I think it's obvious that if I keep going, the injury (is) going to be worse and worse ... (I) feel very sad to say that."
A Grand Slam men's singles semifinal has only been decided via a walkover once before in the Open era, when Jim Courier received a walkover from Richard Krajicek in the Australian Open 1992 semifinals.
"I made my decision because I believe that I can't win two matches under these circumstances," said Nadal, who had been on a 19-match winning streak in Grand Slam matches this season.
"I can't serve. Is not only that I can't serve at the right speed, it's that I can't do the normal movement to serve.
"I don't want to go out there, not be competitive enough to play at the level that I need to play to achieve my goal, and with a big chance to make the things much worse, no?"
This is just the second time in Nadal's storied Grand Slam career, which has netted a record 22 titles and 310 match wins, that he has withdrawn mid-tournament.
World No.40 Kyrgios becomes the ninth Australian to progress to a Wimbledon gentlemen's singles final in the Open era and first since Mark Philippoussis 19 years earlier, who was also unseeded when he contested the 2003 final.
| Wimbledon gentlemen's singlesAustralian finalists - Open era | |
| Player | Year |
| Rod Laver | 1968, 1969 |
| Tony Roche | 1968 |
| John Newcombe | 1969, 1970, 1971 |
| Ken Rosewall | 1970, 1974 |
| Pat Cash | 1987 |
| Pat Rafter | 2000, 2001 |
| Lleyton Hewitt | 2002 |
| Mark Philippoussis | 2003 |
| Nick Kyrgios | 2022 |
Kyrgios is the first Australian man to reach any Grand Slam singles final since Lleyton Hewitt's runner-up finish at Australian Open 2005.
He will play either top seed and three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic or British hope Cameron Norrie in Sunday's championship match.
Aussies in action - Wimbledon
RESULTS
Gentlemen's singles, semifinals
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) d [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) walkover
COMING UP
Gentlemen's singles, final
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) v TBC
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