Grass-court return a struggle for Nick Kyrgios, out of Mallorca – and Wimbledon

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UPDATE: Late Sunday, hours before he was scheduled to take to No. 1 Court, Kyrgios pulled the plus on his participation at Wimbledon. Body just not ready. ***

After missing the Australian swing – and everything since then – because of a knee issue that required surgery, 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios had high hopes as he made the trip to Europe to start his 2023 campaign on the grass.

It hasn’t worked out well for him at all. And with Wimbledon a week away, there’s nothing to be too optimistic about after he lit the tournament on fire a year ago, losing only to Novak Djokovic in the final.

He lost in the first round of Stuttgart to Wu Yibing, and looked in pretty rough shape in the process.

After that, he asked his fans for some patience.

But then, he withdrew from Halle last week.

And now, he’s out of Mallorca – his last chance to get some matches before Wimbledon.

Here’s what he said (video supplied by the Mallorca Open).

“With Wimbledon around the corner, Mallorca was such a good tournament for me last year to prepare for my run I had at Wimbledon. I think this year I was trying to do the same thing coming here. The preparation, the courts, everything here is amazing. And, you know, it’s a beautiful place as well,” Kyrgios said. “So unfortunately, my body’s not as healthy as it was last year, but it’s still an ample part of my preparation to go into Wimbledon.”

Kyrgios’s ranking will drop to No. 33 on Monday. But he will still be seeded at Wimbledon, and you’d think he’ll remain in the draw until the very last minute, hoping he can be healthy enough to play best-of-five.

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Stephanie Myles

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