Former Grand Slam finalist withdraws from Wimbledon two weeks before the start of the championships

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The grass season is underway, and the Wimbledon championships are just around the corner, set to begin on the 30th of June.

Looking to three-peat at the All England Club is Carlos Alcaraz, who secured his second consecutive Wimbledon title last year after defeating Novak Djokovic in the final.

The man he conquered at Roland Garros, Jannik Sinner, will also hope to go all the way this year, after a quarter-final exit in 2024.

Rivalling the two young stars will be 38-year-old Djokovic, still in pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, and he will be aiming to make a seventh Wimbledon final in a row.

While ATP players prepare their grass-court games at the Halle Open and Queen’s, one former Grand Slam finalist has already announced his withdrawal from the third major of the year.

Former Grand Slam finalist withdraws from Wimbledon

Just two weeks before the start of the tournament, 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon due to injury.

Recently, Nishikori had pulled out of the Italian Open, retired mid-match at the Geneva Open, and withdrew from Roland Garros before the first round, where he was scheduled to play eventual champion Alcaraz.

The 35-year-old had been suffering from lower back pain, which will now see him sidelined for the championships.

Nishikori, who reached a career high of world number four, enjoyed a promising comeback last summer, making the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open, and later in the season, won a challenger event at the Tali Open.

Injuries have reared their head again for the Japanese star, however, and he will miss the entire grass court season.

Kei Nishikori’s record at Wimbledon throughout his career

Nishikori has made 13 appearances at Wimbledon over the course of his career, and has a record of 22 wins and 12 losses.

His first campaign came in 2008, when, midway through his first-round matchup with Frenchman Marc Gicquel, he had to retire due to injury.

The current world number 66 made the quarter-finals at the championships twice, both times losing to eventual finalists.

In 2018, he met Djokovic in the last eight and took the second set from the Serb, but ultimately couldn’t get over the line.

The following year, Nishikori’s quarter-final opponent came in the form of 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, who he was also able to win a set against, but again was overcome, with the Swiss legend taking the following three sets to advance to the semi-finals.

Nishikori will now hope to be fit for the US Open, where he had his best run at a major to date in 2014, making the final before suffering defeat to Marin Cilic.