Kyrgios in last-minute withdrawal from Wimbledon, hints he might not be back
Insisting he had not missed the sport during his lengthy injury absence, Nick Kyrgios says he was dreading the idea of coming back to tennis.
The Australian star, whoâs been beset by knee problems which have kept him out of action for all but one losing match this year, on Sunday night (Monday AEST) withdrew from this yearâs Wimbledon with a wrist injury â just hours after confirming he was ready to take on David Goffin in Mondayâs opener at the All England Club.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, he admitted that â after a rare nine-month break from the sport and following a refreshing spell back home â he did not like the idea of coming back to tennis.
âI donât miss the sport at all, to be fair. I was almost dreading coming back a little bit. But itâs my job,â Kyrgios said.
âI wouldnât watch too much tennis. Thereâs a couple of players I enjoy watching. Every time âFoe (Frances Tiafoe) is playing or Thanasi (Kokkinakis) is playing, or anyone like this, I like watching.â
But after a brilliant 2022 campaign which peaked with his run to the final at Wimbledon, he admitted it was âheartbreakingâ to miss more grand slams when heâd been in such great form.
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And with other mixed messages typical of one of the sportâs most complex characters, he warned people shouldnât have âunfair expectationsâ of him after his recent problems, while also suggesting heâs âextremely confidentâ.
âIâve never been a player that needs a lot of matches before a grand slam. Iâve always been on the side of not playing too much,â he said.
âBut what Iâve achieved in my career never leaves. Last year, it wasnât that long ago really, I feel like Iâm still serving as good as ever. Iâm still able to beat a lot of people on the court.â
But following a post on his social media on Sunday announcing his withdrawal from Wimbledon, Kyrgios will not be beating anyone on the All England lawns this year.
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âIâm really sad to say that I have to withdraw from Wimbledon,â he wrote.
âDuring my comeback (from knee surgery) I experienced some pain in my wrist âŚas a precaution I had it scanned and it came back showing a torn ligament in my wrist.
âI tried everything to be able to play and I am disappointed to say that I just didnât have enough time to manage it before Wimbledon.â
Speaking to reporters earlier on Sunday, Kyrgios said he was edging slowly back towards match fitness.
âThe last 10 days, I didnât play Halle. I went to Mallorca, would have loved to get another match under my belt before Wimbledon, but my body wasnât ready,â he said.
âIâve been waking up, doing all the gym work required, rehab, treatment. I hit with (fellow Australian) Jordan Thompson. Played a set, felt OK.
âPlayed another set with (American Maxime) Cressy the day before.
âSo Iâve been trying to emulate a little bit of the match kind of load that Iâm going to have. Obviously, you canât do that with a grand slam. Last year, first round I played (Briton) Paul Jubb, and it went for four hours.
âIâve been doing as much as you possibly can a couple days before Wimbledon. You donât want to over-push it either.â
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