Injured Hurkacz withdraws from Wimbledon
Poland's Hubert Hurkacz has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon after failing to recover from surgery, the former world number six said on Friday.
Hurkacz has not played since he withdrew from the Libema Open earlier this month due to a lower back injury, with the tournament's fifth seed forced to take two medical timeouts in a first-round victory before he withdrew.
Hurkacz also underwent meniscus surgery on his right knee after retiring from his second-round match at Wimbledon last year, where he was the seventh seed, forcing him to skip the Olympics as well.
"Together with my team, I've made the decision to withdraw from this year's Wimbledon," Hurkacz said in a statement.
"During preparations, my body reacted – synovial membrane irritation – which is part of the recovery process from my surgery. It needs rest and treatment, and I need to listen to my body."
The Wimbledon draw was made earlier on Friday and Hurkacz was set to play Briton Billy Harris in the first round of the grasscourt Grand Slam, which begins on Monday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
42 minutes ago
- CNA
South American clubs still lack killer instinct, say FIFA experts
MIAMI :The gulf between South American and European teams may not be as wide as expected at the Club World Cup, but a clear gap still exists in their efficiency in front of goal, according to FIFA technical experts. Arsene Wenger, FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, and Juergen Klinsmann, former Germany and U.S. national team coach, were speaking at a round table on Saturday as the tournament enters its knockout phase. "At the start of the competition, many opponents seemed to fear playing against the European teams," Wenger said. "But as things progressed - especially the Brazilians - they began to realise it might not be so different after all." Flamengo and Botafogo beat European teams during the group phase of the 32-team competition, with the latter's 1-0 victory over European champions Paris St Germain standing out. Wenger said growing belief, especially among Brazilian sides, has shifted the dynamic heading into the last 16. "Maybe it's also because they've gained the confidence to do it. That shift in mindset could mean we'll see a different Brazil in the knockout stage than we saw in the group phase," he added. The Frenchman highlighted the influence of Filipe Luis, whose Flamengo side showed what Wenger called the most European tactical profile among South American sides at the tournament. "Filipe has ... played in Europe, and you can see that in the way his team approaches the game," Wenger said. GAP CLOSING Wenger and Klinsmann said South American clubs were quickly closing the gap in infrastructure and preparation. "When we visited the teams, we saw delegations of up to 100 people - support staff, analysts, advisors," Wenger said. "With squads of 23 to 35 players, these clubs are now fully professional in every department. That level of preparation allows teams to learn quickly." The key difference, however, remains in execution. "In the final third, European clubs are simply more clinical," Wenger said. Klinsmann agreed, saying the real divide lies in mentality. "Experience is also a big part of quality," he said. "When is a club like Pachuca or Monterrey (of Mexico) playing in a tournament like this?" Drawing on his time as U.S. national coach, Klinsmann stressed the importance of testing players outside their comfort zones. "That's why I always said, 'Get us into Copa America. Get us into Europe'. That's the kind of competition that develops a winning mentality," he said. "If this tournament were held again next year, Pachuca would be a different team - more confident, more refined. "But they have to be more clinical. When you're in the box, it's your head that makes the decision, not just your feet. And that's the difference." With the round of 16 underway on Saturday, analysts said the knockout stages would offer a clearer picture of how much ground South American teams have made up, tactically and psychologically. "We might see very different attitudes now," Wenger said.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Stella proud of Norris after 'best qualifying of the year'
SPIELBERG, Austria :McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said he was proud of Lando Norris's performance after the Briton took a dominant pole position in Austria in what he called his best qualifying of the year. Norris led every phase, going fastest in Friday and Saturday practice, a decisive response to a poor qualifying in Canada and his collision with championship-leading teammate Oscar Piastri in that race two weeks ago. That incident, which he accepted blame for, left Norris 22 points behind Piastri. "Even in Canada, after reviewing the weekend with Lando and his engineers, we always said the speed was there," Stella told Sky Sports television. "When he had the little contact with the wall in qualifying, he was on track for a pole position. And in the race, he was one of the fastest, if not the fastest car. The speed was always there. We needed to polish the execution. "I'm really proud of Lando today. Not only he scored a pole position, but it's a dominant pole position, a pretty remarkable lap time." Norris was more than half a second faster than his closest rival, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, on the shortest lap of the season. The Briton said the upgraded car felt strong and quick. Qualifying, a strong point last year, has become more of a problem this season, but Norris seemed to have rectified some of the issues. "It was easily my best qualifying of the year from a delivery point of view from every single lap I did. I still made a couple of mistakes here and there, but none that cost me a lap or anything," he said. "I think on deliveries, consistency and of course putting it in when it counts in Q3 (it) was easily the best lap I've done for this whole season, probably even better than Monaco, honestly. "Maybe not as exciting a lap as Monaco, but definitely a better put-together lap than I did there." Norris won from pole in Monaco, with the fastest lap, as he did in the Australian season-opener. "It shows that the feelings I've been requiring, the feelings that I've not been getting as easily, when they are more my way and more where I want them to be, I can put in better performances and have days like today," he said.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
And breathe...Britain's Draper calm before entering Wimbledon pressure cooker
LONDON :British tennis players come under the spotlight at Wimbledon like nowhere else and the full glare will be trained on world number four Jack Draper as he leads a sizeable home assault at the All England Club starting on Monday. The 23-year-old left-hander's rapid rise up the rankings means he is the highest British seed since two-time winner Andy Murray arrived as defending champion in 2017. Draper's run to the U.S. Open semi-final last year and his title this year at Indian Wells have raised expectations that he is ready to emulate Murray and win the title. The hype is already building up and should he avoid any early banana skins and make a deep run, Draper knows the weight of expectation will grow more heavy on his broad shoulders. Dealing with life in the Wimbledon pressure cooker will be a huge test for a player who has won only two matches in his three previous main draw appearances at the All England Club. But he says employing breathing coach Ann Coxhead has helped him to cope with the anxiety he experienced earlier in his career and which occasionally led to him vomiting on court. "It was important for me in tennis where there's such small margins, such small percentages," Draper told reporters at a sultry and tranquil Wimbledon on Saturday. "The work I've done with her has been invaluable. It's been a real asset to my tennis. I think I'm still a work in progress with it, but definitely my physicality and my general well-being on the court has improved." Draper faces dangerous 38th-ranked Argentine Sebastian Baez in the first round on Tuesday and things will not get much easier after that with former U.S. Open winner and Wimbledon runner-up Marin Cilic a likely second-round opponent. Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic is a potential quarter-final barrier and then it could be world number one Jannik Sinner and two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Sensibly, Draper is not looking too far ahead. "I look at my first round, who I have. I respect every person in the draw. Obviously I've got Baez on Tuesday, and I'm not looking further than that," he said. "I know he's a strong player. He's here off his own merit." Draper and British women's number one Emma Raducanu will lead a 23-strong home contingent in the singles draws, including eight wild cards, the most since 1984. While Draper is happy to talk up his chances, Raducanu, who stunned the tennis world by winning the U.S. Open as a teenaged qualifier in 2021, says she has lower expectations. "Truthfully I don't expect much from myself this year," she told reporters. "I know I've just been dealing with certain things. I just want to go out there and embrace the moment. I want to embrace the occasion." She will start on Monday against compatriot Mingge Xu, one of three British teenaged wild cards in the women's draw. "I think it's a very dangerous match, very difficult. I think Mimi is a really, really good player," Raducanu said.
