Nick Kyrgios makes heartbreaking call on eve of Wimbledon

Nick Kyrgios has announced he is withdrawing from Wimbledon, citing a torn ligament in his wrist sustained during his comeback from knee surgery. Having already been forced to withdraw from the Australia Open at the start of this year, Kyrgios has only played one competitive match in the last six months, with his hopes for the US Open now in question.

The 28-year-old said he had felt some soreness in his wrist during his comeback from injury, pulling out of a planned warm-up tournament for Wimbledon, the Mallorca Open, citing soreness. He said a subsequent precautionary scan had shown a torn ligament.

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Fans will have to wait a little longer now for Kyrgios' much anticipated return to the court, with his only match to date in 2023 a straight-sets loss to World No.64 Yibing Wu in his comeback at the Stuttgart Open in June. Tennis fans were saddened to learn of his withdrawal, particularly after Kyrgios' impressive run to the Wimbledon final 12 months ago.

Kyrgios said that he was 'really sad' not to be playing at Wimbleon this year, but said he simply did not have enough time to get back into competitive condition. Following his loss to Yibing at the Stuttgart Open, the Aussie star had cautioned fans to 'be patient' - however not even Kyrgios would have been expecting a wrist injury to rule him out of Wimbledon.

“During my comeback, I experienced some pain in my wrist during the week of [the Mallorca Open],” he posted. “As a precaution I had it scanned, and it came back showing a torn ligament in my wrist.

“I tried everything to be able to play, and I am disappointed to say that I just didn’t have enough time to manage it before Wimbledon. I’ll be back and as always I appreciate the support from all my fans.”

It was a remarkable turnaround from the optimism Kyrgios had shown just hours earlier, when he had told press he had been looking forward to getting back out there. Instead, fans were left to lament his absence from the famous grasscourt tournament, where he was due to face David Goffin in the first round.

Nick Kyrgios 'dreading' grand slam return before withdrawal

Kyrgios had said in press conferences to preview Wimbledon 2023 that he had been 'dreading' his grand slam comeback to some degree. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, he admitted that - after a rare nine-month break from the sport and following a refreshing spell back home - he did not like the idea of coming back to tennis.

"I don't miss the sport at all, to be fair. I was almost dreading coming back a little bit. But it's my job," Kyrgios said. "I wouldn't watch too much tennis.

"There's a couple of players I enjoy watching. Every time 'Foe (Frances Tiafoe) is playing or Thanasi (Kokkinakis) is playing, or anyone like this, I like watching."

But after a brilliant 2022 campaign which peaked with his run to the final at Wimbledon, he admitted it was "heartbreaking" to miss more grand slams when he'd been in such great form. And with other mixed messages typical of one of the sport's most complex characters, he warned people shouldn't have "unfair expectations" of him after his recent problems, while also suggesting he's "extremely confident".

"I've never been a player that needs a lot of matches before a grand slam. I've always been on the side of not playing too much," he said.

"But what I've achieved in my career never leaves. Last year, it wasn't that long ago really, I feel like I'm still serving as good as ever. I'm still able to beat a lot of people on the court."

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