Rafael Nadal's abdominal injury that forced him to retire from Wimbledon could take 6 months to heal, according to a sports medicine specialist

• Rafael Nadal's abdominal tear, which forced him out of Wimbledon, could take six months to heal.
• That's according to Dr. Carlos Guanche, a hip arthroscopy and sports medicine specialist.

The abdominal tear that forced Rafael Nadal to withdraw from Wimbledon could take six months to heal.

That's according to Dr. Carlos Guanche, a hip arthroscopy and sports medicine specialist at Southern California Orthopedic Institute, who told Insider the Spanish player made the right call in pulling out of the tournament.

Nadal suffered a 7 mm tear to his abdominal muscle during quarterfinal match against American Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the 36-year-old then pulled out of Friday's semifinal against Nick Kyrgios, saying that it "doesn't make sense to play" as "it is obvious the injury will get worse."

"In many cases, about six weeks of recovery time is appropriate," said Gaunche. "However, in some cases, it is necessary to repair the tear if there is more damage than just the 7 mm tear that has been discussed in the media. In these cases, it could take three to six months for recovery."

Nadal received treatment on the injury during his quarterfinal match but pushed through the pain to win in five sets.

Gaunche said that abdominal tears are typical among tennis players due to "repetitive twisting and pivoting" and that it would have caused Nadal a lot of pain during his match against Fritz.

"Typically, the description is a very sharp pain with straining," he said. "As he hits the ball, he would feel a very sharp stab in the area of the abdominal muscular church disruption."

Gaunche added: "It is very painful and his strength in hitting shots, especially forehands, would be significantly affected."

Nadal's withdrawal from Wimbledon ends his hopes of winning all four of this year's Grand Slams, having already clinched both the Australian and French Open titles.

His withdrawal puts Kyrgios in the final, in which the Australian will face Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie on Sunday, playing for his first Grand Slam singles title.

After hearing of Nadal's withdrawal, the 27-year-old wished the Spaniard a speedy recovery.

"I hope your recovery goes well and we all hope to see you healthy soon," he wrote on Instagram. "Till next time."