Nick Kyrgios has been told not to return to Wimbledon after his last-minute withdrawal from the tournament.
The Australian tennis star withdrew from the 2023 competition the day before his first-round match against Belgian David Goffin.
He cited a wrist injury as the reason for his withdrawal.
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“I’m really sad to say that I have to withdraw from Wimbledon this year,” Kyrgios wrote to his followers on Instagram.
“During my comeback, I experienced some pain in my wrist during Mallorca. 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.
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“I’ll be back and as always, I appreciate the support from all my fans.”
Many have criticised Kyrgios for withdrawing at such a late stage, with popular tennis commentator Chris Goldsmith, AKA The Tennis Talker, telling the 28-year-old not to come back to Wimbledon.
“Nick Kyrgios. Pulls out of Wimbledon at the last minute. Pulls out of Mallorca 1 week ago. Pulls out of Halle 2 weeks ago. Struggles in Stuttgart. Not played since Tokyo 2022,” he tweeted.
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“Anyone shocked? Not really. Said earlier tennis is a job and not fussed about coming back.”
“Those that say Nick Kyrgios is good for tennis are wrong. No integrity whatsoever. Pulls out of singles and doubles a few hours before tournament,” he continued in another tweet.
“Another ALT [lucky loser] into Qualifying missed a place, all because he likes to mess about. Don't come back to SW19.”
While Kyrgios has not responded to Goldsmith, many tennis fans defended him in the comments.
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“Put yourself in his shoes. If you had a fractured wrist and had to play tennis (which by the way if you didn't know involves using your wrist), what would you do?” one said.
“You can argue about his professionality, but he's spent the last like 9 months trying to get fit for Wimbledon and at the last minute injuries prevented him from being able to play,” another added.
At Stuttgart, Kyrgios returned to the court for the first time since October 2022.
He was beaten 7-5 6-3 by China’s Yibing Wu in the first round, with the match only lasting 68 minutes.
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“Be patient with me my fans please,” he tweeted afterwards.
“It’s a process to get back to where I was. I know it’s hard for you to see me perform like today, but I need more time and hopefully can get back to where I was.”
Featured Image Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images. Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesTopics: News, Sport, Wimbledon
