2022 Wimbledon tennis odds: Injured Rafael Nadal withdraws from Friday semifinal vs. Nick Kyrgios, ending calendar year Grand Slam hopes

We had a story set about how incredibly rare it was to see Rafael Nadal as a betting underdog in a Grand Slam against an unseeded opponent, as the second-seeded Nadal had opened at +130 for Friday's Wimbledon semifinal against unseeded Nick Kyrgios (-170). But that point is moot. Nadal has withdrawn due to an abdominal injury, meaning Kyrgios will play in his first Grand Slam final Sunday against either Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie.

It was only the second time Nadal had been a betting underdog to an unseeded player in one of the four majors (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open). The other instance was his first-ever Grand Slam match as a 17-year-old at Wimbledon in 2003 in the first round against Mario Ancic. Nadal won that in four sets.

Nadal's abdominal injury was the reason the odds were set as they were. He gutted through the pain in an epic quarterfinal win over American and No. 11 seed Taylor Fritz on Wednesday, 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) to reach his eighth semifinal at the All England Club. At one point, Nadal's father was waving his arms, motioning to his son to quit. Instead, Nadal adjusted his service motion and his strategy to reach his 38th career Grand Slam semifinal.

"For a lot of moments," Nadal said, "I was thinking, 'Maybe I will not be able to finish the match.'"

Spanish newspaper Marca reported Thursday that Nadal has a 7-millimeter tear in one of his abdominal muscles, but that he intended to play. Indeed, Nadal practiced for 45 minutes Thursday, mostly hitting backhands and forehands, but he was serving at vastly reduced speeds. When tournament organizers published their order of play for Friday, Nadal was originally on it. The 36-year-old was trying to win Wimbledon for the third time and the first time since 2010.

The withdrawal means Nadal will not have a chance to capture a calendar-year Grand Slam.  He had already won the Australian Open and French Open and at full health would have been favored at the U.S. Open, partially thanks to Djokovic's ineligibility for the event due to his vaccination status. Rod Laver won the last such Slam in 1969.

The Aussie Kyrgios is as talented as they come – his powerful serve is one of the best on the ATP Tour -- but his temper often gets the best of him, as we saw earlier in this tournament. All match bets vs. Nadal obviously are void. (Note: Check your sportsbook's rules on what happens if a player retires during a match, as the rules can vary greatly.) 

No. 1 Djokovic is a -1400 favorite for Friday's first semifinal against No. 9 Cameron Norrie (+700), who will have all the fan support being from Great Britain (albeit born in South Africa). Djokovic is the three-time Wimbledon champion and has won 26 consecutive matches at the All England Club.

Among men, only Roger Federer has made more semifinal appearances at Wimbledon (13) and won more championships (eight) than the seven Djokovic could reach by winning the final Sunday. Tournament futures at Caesars are currently off the board with the Nadal news: It had been Djokovic -400, Kyrgios +450, Nadal +700, and Norrie +1600. 

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