Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a wrist injury. The announcement, made just before his scheduled first-round match, has sparked a wave of trolling and mixed reactions from fans and observers. Kyrgios, known for his controversial on-court behaviour and unpredictable performances, now faces criticism and scrutiny following this latest setback.
On the eve of the tournament, Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has made the unfortunate decision to withdraw from competing at Wimbledon this year. Citing a new wrist injury, Kyrgios took everyone by surprise when he revealed his withdrawal less than 24 hours before his first-round match. The 28-year-old athlete, who was scheduled to face Belgium's David Goffin on Court One, announced his decision shortly after 10 pm. Despite expressing his cautious hopes during a press conference earlier in the day, Kyrgios changed his plans and used social media to share an emotional statement declaring his unavailability for the tournament.
This is really disappointing news
— amitava (@amitava0112)Damn ☹️
— 📞Athos Paps📞 (@athpaps7)'During my comeback I experienced some pain in my wrist during Mallorca (where he had intended to play last week),' said the Australian. '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.'
There had been no mention of any such problem in his media appearance earlier in the day, which came after a practice session with compatriot Jordan Thompson.
He previously pulled out of the Australian Open in January at the last moment due to knee surgery. Since then, he has participated in only one tournament, where he suffered a first-round loss in Stuttgart three weeks ago. Subsequently, he withdrew from the planned tournaments in Halle and Mallorca.
The severity of his wrist injury and the duration of his absence remain uncertain. However, on Saturday, Kyrgios had a practice session with Maxim Cressy from the United States, displaying decent ball striking. Even so, his performance on the court would likely have been affected by rustiness, although he has never been known for playing a significant number of matches.
On Sunday morning, He spoke of how 'heartbreaking' it had been to be on the sidelines, especially missing the Australian Open, and that he was excited to be back at Wimbledon.
Here are some of the Twitter reaction:
Still shocked😱🙀🤯 but good news
— foxtrip@slepy (@hotspothotdeal)No strawberries and cream for him unfortunately
— Tintin (@Tintin76599898)Retirement looms it seems.
— Nik Kozel (@NikKozel)Lmao. His clownery has exploded exponentially after becoming a djocovid fan
— PorkRibs101 (@absolutelyproky)How could he have a torn ligament? He hasn’t played in months.
— Betty Scott 𓃵 (@Betty_A_Scott)Poor character, dragged on until the end to quit. Hope you never recover!
— Viktor (@Viktor_YZ)Haha no Kyrgios at Wimbledon this year thank God 🙌
— Alex Peers (@djthemes_cfc)He knew he was out weeks ago. Didn’t say anything to get paid for a first round forfeit.
— Bob smith (@Bobsmit21397844)Wrist injury from playing too much PS5?
— Truth_Hurts (@Truth_Police100)