Nadal beats Fritz in five-set thriller to reach semifinal at Wimbledon

LONDON: Rafael Nadal exhibited heroic mental strength to edge American 11th seed Taylor Fritz in a final set tiebreaker during a captivating Wimbledon quarter-final contest on Wednesday to keep alive his quest for a calendar year Grand Slam. Struggling with an abdominal injury, Nadal appeared close to retiring mid-match but found the will to beat Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) in four hours and 20 minutes to set up a semi-final showdown against Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios.

"The body is generally fine. Of course, in the abdominal (area) something is not going well," Nadal said on Centre Court.

"I had to find a way to serve a little bit different. For a lot of moments I was thinking maybe I will not be able to finish the match. But I don't know, the court, the energy is something else, so thanks for that."

The All England Club, where the Spaniard has won two of his 22 majors, has been the least rewarding place for Nadal but he arrived this year having won the Australian and French Open titles back-to-back for the first time in his career. Agencies

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