Kyrgios Forced to Withdraw
All tennis fans, but especially Australians, were dealt some disappointing news Monday morning when it was announced via social media that Nick Kyrgios was going to be unable to participate at this years Wimbledon Championship. A torn ligament in his wrist was cited as the main reason for his withdrawal; the latest in a string of unfortunate injuries for the talented Australian.
2022 was a big year for Kyrgios, which saw him win the Australian Open Men’s Doubles Title with fellow countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis, andfinish runner-up in singles at Wimbledon. This season, however, has not been sofruitful.
The big server was forced out of the Australian Open this year due to a lateral meniscus tear which required surgery. He had the surgery in late January and has been attempting to rehab his way back since then, missing the French Open in the process.
He was slotted to play in the Mallorca Open as a Wimbledon warm-up this past week but withdrew due to what most speculated was a knee related issue. As can be seen from his statement however, we now know this is when he began feeling pain in his wrist leading to the discovery of the torn ligament.
Seeded 30th in the men’s bracket Kyrgios was set to face David Goffin in round one even reassuring the public of his health as late as Sunday telling reporters “I feel as good as I probably could feel at the moment”. In the end though it seems as though there just wasn’t enough time for him to safely recover and participate following the discovery of the new injury.
The All England Club crowd will certainly miss the contentious Aussie as for better or worse. His sometimes controversial on-courtbehaviour is often a welcome interruption from the otherwise stiff, tense atmosphere on Centre Court.
Aussies To Watch
Though King Kyrgios is the most popular and — when healthy — the best tennis player Australia has to offer, there are still plenty of talented Aussies to root for at Wimbledon.
On the men’s side 15th seed Alex De Minaur is the highest seeded Australian in the Tournament. Although he’s not the showman that Kyrgios is, he is a talented player and will look to improve up his all-time best round of 16 finish from last years Championship.
Max Purcell fell to Andrey Rublev in round one while veteran Jordan Thompson is into the final 64 following a five-set victory over Brandon Nakashima. Alexei Popyrin, Jason Kubler, Chris O’Connell and Aleksandar Vukic will all look to make their marks as well.
Only two Australian women are in the main draw as Daria Saville and qualifier Storm Hunter will compete.
Betting Odds For Wimbledon
Seven-time Wimbledon Champion and winner of the past two iterations of the event Novak Djokovic is the Men’s favourite with odds around -185 on most betting sites. Youngster Carlos Alcaraz sits behind him at +380 while Aussie Alex De Minaur is at +6500.
The Women’s favourite is French Open Champion and world number one IgaSwiatek with odds around +240. Defending Champion Elena Rybakina and Australian Open Champion ArynaSabalenka both trail her at +500.
