Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of the tournament in Halle, Germany, due to an ongoing problem with his knee, the ATP Tour said Monday, as the Australian’s hopes of participating in the grass-court Grand Slam took a blow.
Kyrgios, 28, had surgery on a left knee injury earlier in the year and was beaten in his comeback match after a five-month layoff when he fell China’s Wu Yibing in the Stuttgart Open first round last week.
He had trouble with his movement during that match, and the problem has now forced Kyrgios to pull out of the ATP 500 event in Halle, where he reached the semifinals in 2022.
“Very unfortunate news. I won’t be able to compete at Halle this year,” Kyrgios said in a video released by organizers of the tournament.
“I’m still dealing with a couple of things with my knee. Just trying to give myself the best opportunity to compete at Wimbledon. As you all know, that tournament means a lot to me, and I just want to do everything right by my body.
“I didn’t want to go out there and not give you the same performance I gave last year. So, hopefully next year, I’ll be healthy enough to play [at Halle]. See you soon.”
The world No. 31 will be replaced by Aslan Karatsev, the ATP Tour said in a tweet.
Kyrgios, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final last year, had previously played a singles match in October in Tokyo and pulled out of the Australian Open in January in the lead-up to the tournament.
He missed the French Open due to a foot injury he sustained during the theft of his car last month.
Wimbledon will begin on July 3.