The first big story from this years Wimbledon Championships came from the packed arena of Court 2. The fans were anticipating multiple moments of Kyrgios magic but in fact they witnessed the contrary.
In June, Nick Kyrgios suffered from a nasty fall in his first round match against Donald Young at Queen’s Club. He then retired from that match shortly after citing a hip injury. That problem still lingers in the Australian’s body as he was forced to retire today against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. To his credit, the Frenchman was playing awesome grass court tennis with his attacking style of play and he may have got the win anyway had Kyrgios been fully fit. He also managed to keep focused on the task at hand despite the antics taking place on the other side of the net.
The match was a strange occasion. We did not know what to expect from Kyrgios and many fans were perplexed to see his lack of effort. It then became quite obvious what the problem was as the match progressed as we all know what happened at the Queen’s Club a matter of weeks ago. Kyrgios was seen gingerly moving his hip around at some changeovers and that pin pointed what the problem was for him. After Herbert took a two sets to love lead the Australian called it a day and retired from the match. Kyrgios left the court looking deeply saddened which was a difficult watch.
The enigmatic Australian is well known for wearing his heart on his sleeve and letting everyone know all his thoughts and feelings. He made it very obvious that his hip was letting him down. This news comes as a major disappointment to the tournaments, to Nick Kyrgios and to tennis. When he is at his best it is simply a joy to behold. He is one of the most watchable players on tour and the deeper he goes into tournaments the better.
Nick Kyrgios will be feeling extremely upset right now as this tournament was a massive opportunity for him to breakthrough to the tennis elite and potentially win the title. It must sting even more that the cause for his departure was completely out of his control. In 2017 the stars seemed to be aligning for Nick Kyrgios when he went on a stellar run in the early parts of the year including two straight sets wins over Novak Djokovic and that epic match against Federer in the semi finals of the Miami Masters. Back then when he announced he would compete at the Queen’s Club he expressed how big he feels his chances are on grass this year. The Australian has competed three sets on grass this year, retiring in both of his matches with the same injury.
What Next for Nick Kyrgios?
The big names on tour have a well deserved holiday after Wimbledon and this long break could benefit him. Kyrgios will be able to rest and recover both physically and mentally. The injury should be fully healed by the time the US hard court season comes around. The break will also give him time to recharge his batteries after a frustrating grass court season. One thing is certain: Wimbledon will miss the Australian’s presence and showmanship. The US Open is the final major of the year and although the tennis world has their eyes on Wimbledon, Nick Kyrgios will have his eyes firmly on New York.
Main Photo:
