Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the Mallorca Championships on Wednesday due to an abdominal injury less than a week before the start of Wimbledon.
The Australian was due to play Roberto Bautista Agut in the round of 16 in Mallorca but pulled out to maximise his chances at the All England Club, where the tournament begins on Monday.
“I’m really sorry I’m going to have to withdraw from tonight’s match here in Mallorca,” Kyrgios said in a statement on Wednesday. “I have been playing a lot of great matches lately, and unfortunately, I woke up with a pain in my abs.
“I went to see the tournament doctor right away and he advised that I don’t play tonight. I really value the Mallorca Championships but I will follow his advice as I don’t want to risk Wimbledon next week.”
Kyrgios had won his opening match in Mallorca on Tuesday when beating Laslo Dere in three sets, but his injury casts doubt on whether he will be fully fit for Wimbledon. Kyrgios needed more than two hours to defeat Laslo Djere 5-7, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (1) in the previous round of the grass-court tournament that serves as preparation for Wimbledon.
Kyrgios has slipped to 45th in the world, but with his big serve and aggressive game, the 27-year-old will be an opponent the favourites want to avoid next week.
Kyrgios’ record in Grand Slams, though, remains underwhelming. He has only twice reached the quarter-finals of a major tournament in singles, including at Wimbledon in 2014.
The main draw of Wimbledon starts on Monday, and Kyrgios – who withdrew from the event last year during his third-round match against Felix Auger-Aliassime due to an abdominal injury – heads into the Grand Slam unseeded as the world No. 45.
Kyrgios stands as an opponent few seeded players would want to face at Wimbledon, where he reached the quarter-finals in his first outing back in 2014.
The 27-year-old has yet to progress beyond the fourth round since, although he had been looking solid on grass this year, enjoying wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Pablo Carreno Busta at Halle.
He went on to lose to Hubert Hurkacz in three sets while he exited at the same stage of the Stuttgart Open when Andy Murray beat him in two.
“After a great performance in Stuttgart and a good start in Mallorca, we hope you are able to recover in time for Wimbledon,” the Mallorca Championships said on Twitter.
