Wimbledon to conclude this weekend

July 8, 2022
Sports NewsTennis
Wimbledon to conclude this weekend
SOURCE: JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/GETTY IMAGES

The GIST: After two weeks of fun, tennis’ third Grand Slam of the year will come to a close this weekend. But one big name won’t be in contention following a stunning resignation — no, not that one — in London yesterday.

Men’s singles: And then there were…three? After advancing to the semis with Wednesday’s marathon quarter-final win over No. 11 Taylor Fritz, No. 2 Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw from the tourney yesterday due to an abdominal tear, ending his quest for a second straight major title and sending Nick Kyrgios straight through to Sunday’s 9 a.m. ET final. Heartbreaking.

  • Kyrgios — who’s facing assault allegations in his home country of Australia — will face the winner of this morning’s 9:45 a.m. ET match between defending Wimbledon champ No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 9 Cameron Norrie, who’s making his first appearance in a major semifinal. No pressure.

Women’s singles: History will be made when No. 3 Ons Jabeur and No. 17 Elena Rybakina meet in tomorrow’s 9 a.m. ET final. Jabeur took down her bestie Tatjana Maria in yesterday’s semis and will become the first Arab and first African woman to appear in a Grand Slam final.

  • As for the other semi, Rybakina routed No. 16 Simona Halep in straight sets, advancing to become the first player from Kazakhstan to contend for a major title. A tie never sounded so good.