After the disappointment of missing out on Wimbledon 2023 due to injury, Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios will be determined to finish the season on a high.
Injuries have plagued the 28-year-old over the course of the year but there is still one last opportunity for Grand Slam glory in 2023 at the US Open in New York City.
Wimbledon 2023 Dream Over Before It Began
Facing a race against time to recover from a knee injury in time for this year’s Wimbledon, Kyrgios did look like making the tournament at the All England Club. The Canberra native, who as of 4th July is +800 in the tennis odds to win the US Open later this year, had played at just one tournament in 2023 due to a knee problem that required surgery.
However, Kyrgios was putting in the hard work behind the scenes and looked like he would be capable of making a return to Wimbledon, where he has been a previous finalist in 2022.
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Unfortunately, the news broke on 2nd July that Kyrgios would be playing no part in the prestigious tournament at SW19 after confirming he had torn a ligament in his wrist. Working so hard to make sure his knee was in working order, it will have come as a blow and a shock to have suffered a fresh wrist injury just before the action got underway at Wimbledon. As mentioned, the final of Wimbledon 2022 was Kyrgios’ first Grand Slam final appearance as he finished runner-up to one of the all-time greats of the sport, Novak Djokovic. Joining Rafael Nadal as another high-profile absentee from Wimbledon this season, Kyrgios will be looking ahead to new challenges towards the back end of the year’s schedule.
Latest In A Series Of Setbacks
Having shown great promise over the last couple of years that he could finally end his wait for a maiden Grand Slam, 2023 has been a run of one setback after another. Kyrgios was forced to pull out of the Australian Open at the start of the year on the eve of the competition in Melbourne.
It was later discovered that a cyst growing in his meniscus would mean surgery was required, which then meant a spell out on the sidelines until a return to court in June. The return was not the one Kyrgios would have hoped for, as he suffered a defeat in the opening round of the Stuttgart Open to China’s Wu Yibing.
The Aussie did not look to have the same freedom of movement as before his operation and the decision was then taken to withdraw from the tournament the following week at the Halle Open.
Optimism was growing in the Kyrgios camp after practising against countryman Jordan Thompson and the American Maxime Cressy in the build-up to Wimbledon at the All England Club. That was to be shortlived, as the wrist injury scuppered any hopes Kyrgios would be able to go one better than his runner-up spot at Wimbledon last year.
Focus On Recovery And US Open
With Wimbledon over before it began for Kyrgios, the focus for this exciting player has moved to recovery and building towards the final Grand Slam of the year at the US Open. In a post on his social media, Kyrgios revealed his disappointment at missing Wimbledon but stated he would be back. The US Open will be his next main target with the event at Flushing Meadows set to take place between 28th August and 10th September.
Kyrgios has previously progressed far into the major tournament in the Big Apple, managing to reach the quarter-finals of the competition in his standout season last year. Not being able to build on his efforts in 2022 will have come as a frustration for Kyrgios but at least he will know he has the capabilities to challenge for Grand Slam events. The often temperamental player has been regarded as a potential Grand Slam winner for the last decade but only recently has it looked like he can fulfil that promise.
Kyrgios will be hoping his injury woes this year are just a bump in the road and now all focus will be on getting back on court and having spectators on the edge of their seats at the US Open in August.
