Rafael Nadal in major injury scare as Wimbledon star’s dad tells him to quit mid-match

Rafael Nadal received a medical timeout after appearing to injure his abdomen during his Wimbledon quarter-final clash with Taylor Fritz. The Spaniard’s dad, Sebastian, was then seen appearing to sensationally tell his son to quit before he trudged off centre court. 

Nadal seemed to be struggling to serve for much of the second set after losing the first set against Fritz. The 35-year-old, who had previously opened up about his abdomen problem prior to the match, struggled through several points against the American. 

Midway through the second set, Nadal called for the trainer and was then granted a medical timeout. But broadcast cameras then appeared to show the 22-times Grand Slam champion’s family telling him to retire. 

Sebastian Nadal could be seen throwing his arms in the air and pointing to an imaginary watch as if to say: “Why bother?”. Nadal returned to the court and continued to play, although BBC commentator Feliciano Lopez suggested that he would not last long.

“A lot of things are going through his mind probably now. It’s not easy. It’s very difficult to handle you know. I’m very keen to see how he’s going to react.”

Nadal played with strapping on his abdomen during his last match, against Botic van de Zandschulp. When asked about the strapping, he said: “Thanks for the question, but I say the other day.

“In the other hand I am a little bit tired to talk about my body. It’s not about that I don’t want to answer your question, but in the same time sometimes I am tired about myself, all the issues that I am having. I prefer to not talk about that now. Sorry for that.

“But I am in the middle of the tournament and I have to keep going, no? All respect for the rest of the opponents. I am just trying my best every single day. For the moment I am healthy enough to keep going and fight for the things that I want.”