When Rafael Nadal withdrew from his Wimbledon semifinal match vs. Nick Kyrgios scheduled for Friday, fans immediately began debating whether the opponent Nadal beat on Wednesday, American Taylor Fritz, deserved to take the Spaniard’s spot instead of Kyrgios earning a walkover into the Wimbledon final.
Nadal’s withdrawal came from an abdominal tear he suffered during the quarterfinals match on Wednesday. Nadal overcame Fritz 3–6, 7–5, 3–6, 7–5, 7–6(4) in the four-hour, 20-minute match. Because it was such a close match, and in many moments fans thought Fritz would outlast the 22-time Grand Slam champion, fans argued that the American deserved a chance at playing Kyrgios in the semifinal.
The concept of a “lucky loser” constantly was brought up in conversations. This would mean the previous loser, in this case Fritz, would be able to play in Nadal’s spot in the semifinals vs. Kyrgios.
Former tennis star Pam Shriver added to the conversation on Thursday.
Despite fans’ desire for him to continue his 2022 Wimbledon run, Fritz expressed to fans in an Instagram comment that he didn’t think he “deserved” to take Nadal’s spot because he lost to him.
Fritz responded to the idea on Instagram in a comment, shared by Eurosport: “nah, not looking for handouts, if I couldn’t beat him then I don’t deserve to be in semis… simple as that 🤷🏻♂️”.
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Even if he had the chance to take Nadal’s spot, it sounds like Fritz doesn’t feel like he deserved the opportunity.
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The 24-year-old admitted after Wednesday’s match how emotional it was for him to lose.
“After the match was over, I wanted to cry,” Fritz said in his press conference. “I’ve never felt like that ever after a loss. I’ve never felt like I could cry after a loss. Just that’s telling enough to know that this one hurt more than any other one’s hurt before.”
The American has captured two titles so far this year: Indian Wells and Eastbourne.
The Wimbledon men’s singles final is on Sunday, July 10, showcasing a match between Novak Djokovic and Kyrgios.
