The grass court season is well underway as the stars of the ATP Tour begin their preparations for Wimbledon.
Two ATP 250 tournaments in Stuttgart and the Netherlands have kicked off the grass-court season.
While top ten stars Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz compete in Stuttgart, several big names took the trip to the Netherlands for the Libema Open.
Former world number one Daniil Medvedev is the top seed, joined by the likes of Ugo Humbert, Karen Khachanov, and Alexei Popyrin.
The top four seeds were likely looking over their shoulders at the Libema Open’s number five seed, who has some serious grass-court pedigree.
However, just hours before his second-round match, the 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist was forced to withdraw from the event with an injury to his lower back.
Hubert Hurkacz withdraws from grass warm-up event due to injury
During the latter stages of his first-round win against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, Hubert Hurkacz was seen struggling with an injury to his lower back.
He had hoped to recover in time for his second-round clash with Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal, updating fans on his fitness during his post-match interview on Wednesday.
“Obviously, toward the end, I had to fight through it; it wasn’t easy, but I hope I’ll feel better tomorrow,” said Hurkacz.
“My back is still a bit sore, but I’ll work with the physio in the coming hours and do everything to improve my condition.”
Unable to recover in time, Hurkacz withdrew just hours before his second-round match, as Lajal advanced to the quarterfinals, where he will take on either Popyrin or Zizou Bergs.
The Pole could have done without another setback, having already endured a tricky start to his 2025 campaign.
Struggling for form during the early months of the season, Hurkacz suffered an injury after Indian Wells, which saw him miss two Masters 1000 events (the Miami Open and Monte-Carlo Masters).
Bouncing back on clay, Hurkacz reached the quarterfinals in Rome before qualifying for his first final of the year in Geneva.
Pushing the 24-time Major champion all the way, Hurkacz narrowly came up short against Novak Djokovic in the Geneva Open final, 7-5, 6-7, 6-7.
During the trophy presentations, Djokovic shared some kind words with Hurkacz, praising him for ‘cutting his comeback’ from injury short.
“Congrats to your team as well. I know how it feels to be injured with the knee, it’s a big challenge to come back, you’ve managed to cut your comeback short, and reach already a very high level,” he said.
Now dealing with a fresh injury, it remains to be seen whether or not Hurkacz will withdraw from next week’s ATP 500 event in Halle.
Hurkacz reached the final in Halle 12 months ago, and risks falling out of the world’s top 40 if he is unable to compete.
Fans of the 28-year-old will certainly hope to see him back in action before too long, on a surface where he enjoyed one of the best results of his career.
Hubert Hurkacz’s impressive 2021 Wimbledon run
Hurkacz enjoyed his best-ever Grand Slam performance at Wimbledon four years ago, when he embarked on a sensational run to the semi-finals.
The big-serving Pole barely broke a sweat in his opening three matches, setting up an intriguing fourth-round clash with Medvedev.
- 2021 Wimbledon 1R – Hubert Hurkacz beat Lorenzo Musetti, 6-4, 7-6, 6-1
- 2021 Wimbledon 2R – Hubert Hurkacz beat Marcos Giron, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
- 2021 Wimbledon 3R – Hubert Hurkacz beat Alexander Bublik, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
There, Hurkacz battled through in five tight sets, to beat the Russian 2-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Up next was a Centre Court clash with one of the greatest players in tennis history, Roger Federer.
Stunning the 20-time Major champion in straight sets, Hurkacz defeated Federer, 6-3, 7-6, 6-0, in the Swiss star’s final professional match.
The win saw Hurkacz advance to his first Major semi-final, where he took on Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.
Both players were searching for a place in their first Grand Slam final, but it was Berrettini who prevailed, winning in four sets.
Hurkacz hasn’t quite been able to rediscover that form since, losing before the quarterfinal stage in his three previous visits to the All England Club.
- 2022 Wimbledon – Hubert Hurkacz lost in 1R to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
- 2023 Wimbledon – Hubert Hurkacz lost in 4R to Novak Djokovic
- 2024 Wimbledon – Hubert Hurkacz lost in 2R to Arthur Fils
Should he be fit to compete in 2025, Hurkacz will certainly be hoping for a better showing this time around.
The 2025 Wimbledon tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 30.
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