Nick Kyrgios is OUT of Wimbledon as Australian reveals he has withdrawn on the eve of the tournament

Nick Kyrgios sprang an unwanted surprise on Wimbledon on Sunday evening by pulling out of his first round less than 24 hours before the match.

The 28 year-old Australian announced just after 10pm that he would not be taking up his spot on Court One, where he was due to face Belgium’s David Goffin.

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 and talked of the forthcoming week, and his cautious hopes of at least being able to leave an impression this year.

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

Kyrgios revealed he has been suffering with a torn ligament in his wrist that was forcing him to miss the tournament

‘During my comeback I experienced some pain in my wrist during Mallorca (where he had intended to play last week),’ said the Australian. ‘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 any such problem in his media appearance earlier in the day, which came after a practice session with compatriot Jordan Thompson.

This is the second time in 2023 that Kyrgios has withdrawn from a Grand Slam on the eve of it, having scratched from the Australian Open at the eleventh hour back in January.

After that he underwent knee surgery, and has subsequently only made one appearance on tour. That was in Stuttgart three weeks ago, when he lost his first round, and after that he pulled out of a planned tournament in Halle and then last week in Mallorca.

The extent of his wrist injury – and how long he might be out for – is unclear, but on Saturday he hit with American Maxim Cressy and seemed to be hitting the ball well enough.

At best he would have been extremely rusty, although he has never been one to play a huge amount anyway.

His mood on Sunday morning had been relatively subdued, and he had given slightly contradictory signals ahead of his much-anticipated return to a tournament he helped electrify a year ago.

Kyrgios (left) has taken part in pre-tournament media duties on Sunday morning before withdrawing

He spoke of how ‘heartbreaking’ it had been to be on the sidelines, especially missing the Australian Open, and that he was excited to be back at Wimbledon.

Kyrgios did not seem entirely convinced, however. Before departing he also insisted that he had not watched that much tennis during his convalescence from knee surgery in January, apart from a few players like Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz: ‘I don’t miss the sport at all, to be fair. I was almost dreading coming back a little bit. But it’s my job.’

He also addressed his part in the latest Netflix series around tennis, Break Point, in which he talked openly of his mental health issues over the years. That included the revelation that in 2019 he spent time in a psychiatric ward in a London hospital after defeat at SW19, having experienced suicidal thoughts.

Kyrgios had looked to be hitting the ball well in practice sessions in the build-up to Monday

‘It took me seven, eight years to be able to just open up about that. I kept it very close to the chest for a long time,’ he said on Sunday.

‘But I think it’s important. I think a lot of athletes kind of go through that, I feel like it’s a bit better now. Especially males felt like it was kind of hard to open up, admit they were struggling.

‘I feel very different to how I was feeling obviously throughout that period in 2019, I guess I feel great now.’

There had definitely been a note of realism about his chances this year, given how little tennis he has played.

‘I look at my preparations last year coming in, I probably had the most ideal preparation possible. It couldn’t be any different this year.

Kyrgios has struggled with injuries for large parts of the season, first his knee and now his wrist

The Australian is another name added to a growing list of superstars ruled out of Wimbledon

‘I’ve been working really hard. I’ve been trying to do everything possible. I’ve been really disciplined throughout that time (with the rehab). I barely missed any part of the process.

‘Last year I felt like everything kind of came together for me. Finals of Wimbledon, had the third best season (among anyone) on tour. Obviously my body was just crying out for some sort of rest. It’s been brutal.

Quite where this leaves him is unclear, and any injury to do with the wrist is very worrisome for a tennis player. He is due to play next on the hard courts of North America.

Wimbledon was forced to issue a new order of play, which saw French Open finalist Casper Ruud promoted to the Court One slot that Kyrgios would have occupied.