Nick Kyrgios drops out of Wimbledon match after suffering abdominal injury

Nick Kyrgios had to retire after the second set of his third-round match with Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon on Saturday because of an abdominal injury.

Kyrgios called the trainer and had a medical timeout during the first set, and though he closed out the set 6-2, he was struggling from the beginning of the second set. After several discussions with the trainer, he decided to call it a day.

“I can’t serve,” Kyrgios said to his trainer. “I’m literally just turning my arm over. I can’t serve more than 120 [mph]. It’s getting worse. I don’t want to tear it and not be able to play for 12 years.”

Nick Kyrgios reacts after withdrawing from his third-round match against Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

It was a sad end to a good week for Kyrgios, who had not played since the Australian Open, choosing to stay at home rather than travel and play tournaments, some without fans and most in a bubble due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 26-year-old beat Ugo Humbert, the No. 21 seed, in the first round and was ahead 5-2 in the first set against No. 16 seed Auger-Aliassime when he suffered the injury.

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“I haven’t played this level of tournament in a long time,” Kyrgios said. “Playing against someone as good as Felix, I need my serve to be firing on all cylinders, but I did something to my ab in the first set.”

Things got off to a rocky start before the match, when Kyrgios realized he left his grass-court shoes in the locker room. The mishap forced the two players to stand around for a couple of minutes before they could start their warm-up after a Wimbledon employee came running out with Kyrgios’ shoes.

“The one day I thought I was being a professional,” Kyrgios joked, pointing out that he had all his rackets and clothes with him. “Walking out here so confidently and then, bang. Left the shoes in the locker room.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.