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Wimbledon 2017: Nick Kyrgios’ campaign ends with injury retirement after 65 minutes

NICK Kyrgios pulled out two sets into his opening-round Wimbledon clash but is not yet considering hip surgery as he hopes to lead Australia to Davis Cup glory.

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios returns to Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France.
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios returns to Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France.

THE prospect of playing in a championship-winning Davis Cup team is one of the motivators behind Nick Kyrgios’ reluctance to have hip surgery.

Admitting he is scared by the thought of hip surgery in the grim aftermath of a shattering Wimbledon retirement, Kyrgios is desperate to help Australia win the Davis Cup.

Asked if surgery is an option following a fraught 6-3 6-4 retirement against Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Kyrgios said: “Probably not at the moment. I got too much stuff going on.”

An injured Nick Kyrgios pulls the pin against Pierre-Hugues Herbert .
An injured Nick Kyrgios pulls the pin against Pierre-Hugues Herbert .

The response was a direct reference to Australia’s Davis Cup ambitions ahead of the semi-final with Belgium in September.

Kyrgios credits successive victories over Novak Djokovic in the autumn to the team culture driven on the regular tour by Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt.

Kyrgios tapped into the Cup environment to lift out of the doldrums after harried Australian Open defeat in January.

He will now consult a London specialist to gauge the true extent of the hip injury.

“Probably get an MRI tomorrow,” Kyrgios said after logging his first Wimbledon first-round exit in four attempts.

“Hopefully get an injection or something, do rehab, and get healthy, I guess. I can’t really do anything.

“You know, it’s just a bit unlucky what happened. I mean, yeah, there’s worse things in the world.

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s career-ending or anything like that.

Nick Kyrgios was two sets down when he retired.
Nick Kyrgios was two sets down when he retired.
Nick Kyrgios stretches between points.
Nick Kyrgios stretches between points.

“I just didn’t have enough time to get it better. Simple as that. Just didn’t have enough time.”

Kyrgios intends to recuperate and then contest Atlanta and Washington as preparation for next month’s US Open.

The Davis Cup semi-final runs from September 15-17 - five days after Flushing Meadow finishes.

Kyrgios said he would “do everything possible to avoid it.”

“I’m obviously a little bit scared, obviously. But I don’t think I need it at the moment,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone wants to go down the surgery route.

“I had it right after Paris. I wasn’t feeling it at all. When I initially got on the grass, I wasn’t feeling my hip at all.

“As I said, the first set when I played against Donald Young (at Queen’s Club), it was fine. I couldn’t feel anything. I was playing great. I was feeling good.

Nick Kyrgios gets a consoling pat from Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Nick Kyrgios gets a consoling pat from Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

“Then it just all got taken away pretty quickly.

“I don’t think anyone wants to go down the surgery route. I had it right after Paris. I wasn’t feeling it at all. When I initially got on the grass, I wasn’t feeling my hip at all.

“I spoke to the doctor before the tournament started. He was leaning towards me not even playing.

“It’s my favourite tournament. I do well here every year. So it’s tough for me to go out there and get beaten and pull out. It’s not the easiest thing for me to do.

“I did the right things. I took 10 days off, got an injection, rehabbed, it was fine. I fell over at Queen’s. I can hardly do anything about it, you know.”

Unable to move laterally, Kyrgios attempted to blast his way out of trouble - only to find disaster.

It is his worst Wimbledon showing since debuting here in 2014 with searing run to the quarter-finals, a surge crowned by victory over then world No 1 Rafael Nadal.

A fourth-round presence in the past two seasons, Kyrgios has been plagued by bone bruising and other issues in his left hip for months.

Nick Kyrgios made his earliest ever exit from Wimbledon.
Nick Kyrgios made his earliest ever exit from Wimbledon.

He believed he had solved the problem after receiving an injection following the French Open, but a first-round tumble against Donald Young aggravated the injury.

Kyrgios is adamant surgery can be avoided with the right course of treatment.

But the situation has become chronic, leaving him vulnerable to relapses.

Bernard Tomic underwent double hip surgery before resuming and claiming a career-best ranking of world No 17.

Rating himself only 60-65 percent fit pre-match, Kyrgios struggled from the outset.

Originally published as Wimbledon 2017: Nick Kyrgios’ campaign ends with injury retirement after 65 minutes

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/nick-kyrgioss-wimbledon-campaign-ends-with-injury-retirement-after-65-minutes/news-story/aa0d85e78c8c9ef1cdc94929c975ad45