Nick Kyrgios withdraws from Wimbledon after suffering torn ligament in his wrist

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament, just hours after confirming he’d play, citing a wrist ligament injury.

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from Wimbledon. Picture: Getty Images

Nick Kyrgios has sprung a surprise and withdrawn from Wimbledon citing a wrist injury just hours before his first round.

The 28 year-old Australian announced on social media just after 10pm that he would not be taking up his spot on Court One, where he was due to take on Belgium’s David Goffin saying he was “excited” for the challenge.

The absence of last year’s finalist is another blow to a tournament which is already lacking some of the bigger names, from Rafael Nadal to Emma Raducanu.

Kyrgios had appeared at his scheduled press conference Sunday morning slightly deflated but insisted he was “excited” and hopeful of leaving an impression at his favourite tournament.

Unpredictable as ever, he then went on social media on Sunday night to announce that he would not be playing after all.

“During my comeback I experienced some pain in my wrist during Mallorca (where he had intended to play last week),’ he told fans.

“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 a wrist problem at his media appearance earlier in the day, which came after a practice session with Jordan Thompson.

This is the second time in 2023 that Kyrgios has withdrawn from a Grand Slam on the eve of the tournament, having bailed from the Australian Open at the eleventh hour back in January.

Asked about his drawn out knee injury at the press conference on Sunday, he said: “I‘ve been really disciplined throughout that time. I barely missed any sort of part of the process. I’ve been working really hard.

“It‘s been brutal because everyone is expecting you to be the same player that I was straightaway. That’s been really hard.

“Obviously I played a couple weeks ago in Stuttgart. I lost, and the criticism was enormous. My first match back, it was hard to kind of just be the same player that I was straightaway.”