Kyrgios out of Wimbledon with wrist injury

IANS Photo

IANS Photo

London, July 3 (IANS): Nick Kyrgios, who reached the men's singles final at last year's Wimbledon Championships, has withdrawn from the grass-court Grand Slam this year due to a wrist injury.

The 28-year-old Australian lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, before reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open, reports Xinhua.

He was away from the court for nearly six months after undergoing knee surgery in January, and lost to China's Wu Yibing in the first match of his comeback at the Stuttgart Open last month.

"I'm really sad to say that I have to withdraw from Wimbledon this year," Kyrgios wrote on social media. "I tried my hardest to be ready after my surgery and to be able to step on the Wimbledon courts again. During my comeback, I experienced some pain in my wrist during (preparations for the) Mallorca (Open)."

"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," said Kyrgios, who had been slated to play against Belgium's David Goffin in the first round.

"I'll be back, and as always, I appreciate the support from all my fans," he said.

This year's Wimbledon Championships open on Monday, as 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic begins his title defence with an opening round match against Argentina's Pedro Cachin.