Injured Kyrgios insists:“I’ll play Wimbledon”

Published by Vivienne Christie

Nick Kyrgios vows he'll be ready to compete at Wimbledon; Getty Images
As Nick Kyrgios fights to be ready for Wimbledon, friend and countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis continues his own comeback from injury at Queen’s.

Nick Kyrgios insists he’ll be ready to compete at Wimbledon, despite retiring injured from his first-round match against Donald Young at Queen’s.

After a strong start against the world No.50 American, Kyrgios fell heavily in the eighth game of the first set and immediately called for a trainer to treat his troublesome hip.

The Australian returned for the next four games but after losing the set in a tiebreak, opted not to continue.

“There are worse things in the world than a guy slipping playing tennis. I’m sure I’ll live,” insisted Kyrgios, who had earlier declared himself pain free after he received anti-inflammatory injections on both his shoulder and hip.

“I started feeling it when I was walking, when I was landing on my serve. It’s exactly what I was feeling in Paris. I mean, it’s tough to play through.

“Obviously my main goal is to play well at Wimbledon, so I’m going to try and get it better and rehab it and hopefully it settles down.

Kyrgios has good reason to target the grass court major. His three appearances at the All England Club include two fourth round appearances, as well as a quarterfinal run in which he upset world No.1 Rafael Nadal in his centre court debut.

“I’d play Wimbledon if I was injured pretty bad, anyway,” added Kyrgios, who is renting a house in the area with his mother and girlfriend. “I’m here … I don’t really have time to go home. I will be playing, for sure.”

Kokkinakis continues comeback

While Kyrgios recovers from his latest injury, close friend and countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis is targeting a successful comeback at Queen’s.

The South Australian contested just one match in 2016 after undergoing shoulder surgery and suffering several other physical issues.

But after winning the Brisbane doubles title with Jordan Thompson early in 2017, Kokkinakis withdrew from all singles events until May due to further injury.

Returning to the tour in Lyon last month, Kokkinakis also contested Roland Garros where he pushed Kei Nishikori to four sets.

The recipient of a wildcard into Queen’s, the 21-year-old now faces a hugely challenging first round opponent in Milos Raonic, who was runner-up at Queen’s and Wimbledon in 2016.

“It’s not going to be easy,” Kokkinakis admitted of his first career meeting with the big-serving Canadian.

“I’ve played him a couple of times in practice and felt OK. But grass is a bit of a different ball game. He obviously plays well here and with his serve it puts pressure on your serve.”

Kokkinakis conceded that he is still re-adjusting to the demands of competing on tour, acknowledging it took several days to recover from his four-set French Open match with Nishikori.

“My fitness is not perfect and I don’t think I’ll be perfect for a little bit,” Kokkinakis told AAP in Britain. “It’s improving but I still have a few niggles here and there but my support staff are doing everything to keep me on the court.

“You can play as many sets you want in practice, but it doesn’t compare to the intensity of a match.

“I am really setting up for the hard court season at the back end of the year and I just want to make sure I am at the Aussie Open and I am 100 per cent good to go.”

 

 

 

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