Nick Kyrgios' 'heartbreaking' admission about Venus Williams
Nick Kyrgios' heartbreaking withdrawal from the single's draw at Wimbledon has also come at a cost for the 'dream team' after pairing up in one of the matches of the tournament with Venus Williams.
Kyrgios was 'devastated' after injuring his abdomen and withdrawing from the match against talented Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
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While he was able to clinch the first set, it was all downhill from that moment on.
Unfortunately, for the crowd favourite, the injury reduced his monster serve to half-pace against the brilliant young Canadian.
This prompted Kyrgios to call it quits after dropping the second set with little resistance.
However, for fans and the Aussie, his withdrawal through injury also impacts tennis great Williams.
Williams and Kyrgios teamed up for one of the most entertaining tennis matches in quite some time in the mixed doubles draw.
The hype around their partnership was a huge draw card for Wimbledon and the duo's first match lived up to the billing as they advanced in an action packed three-set thriller.
Nick Kyrgios' injury impacts Venus Williams
Kyrgios had already alluded to some pain after his Second Round match after having not played a Grand Slam tournament since January at the Australian Open.
But, the Australian was blunt in his post-match interview on the weekend and said it was highly unlikely he would be able to take the court again with the tennis legend.
“I’ve got goosebumps just thinking about the fact that I might have to tell Venus Williams that I can’t play mixed doubles because of an injury,” Kyrgios told reporters after his withdrawal.
“It’s brutal for me because … I’ve now taken another day of her time. She’s been here, she could have been planning other things. It’s brutal.
“I’m telling you deep down I’m one of the people that will try and do absolutely everything to play doubles.
“It’s tough. I would have been fine to lose today and not be injured, but it’s more heartbreaking like this.”
Kyrgios admitted he was 'devastated' after his withdrawal, after taking the first set in sensational fashion.
"I'm enjoying myself. Going from the bad boy of tennis, all this stuff, to now one of the crowd favourites," he said.
"I knew they wanted me to keep playing. I tried to give everything I absolutely could.
"But I knew the more I served, the worse it was getting. It was heartbreaking for me.
"I told the crowd it was the end of the road. It was a journey.
"I honestly thought the way I was playing I could have done some pretty cool things this week. It was tough to leave that crowd."
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