Djokovic: “I give Nadal a lot of credit for the way he fought”

Novak Djokovic He knows very well what it’s like to have to deal with an injury in the middle of a Grand Slam. The Serbian injured his abdominal area in his match against Taylor Fritz at the 2021 Australian Open, so he understands what he has been through Rafael Nadal these days, with the worst outcome, his withdrawal from Wimbledon 2022: “I don’t know exactly what the nature of Rafa’s injury is. I tore my oblique muscle on the left side and it’s clear that it’s very difficult to play in those conditions. What hurt me the most was the serve. We managed to eliminate the pain, what allowed me to move forward. Injuries are every athlete’s worst enemy. I give Nadal a lot of credit for the way he fought and won that quarter-final match with that injury. He knows his body best, so that the decision to continue or not always depended on him. It is very sad that in a tournament as big as Wimbledon there is no second semifinal, but it is what it is, “Djokovic explained to Tennis Majors.