Nick Kyrgios forgot to pack his shoes, won the first set but lost the second before withdrawing from his third-round Wimbledon clash against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime on Saturday.
The Australian forgot to bring the appropriate footwear to No.1 Court, but he brought his abundant natural talent, taking the first set 6-2.
Kyrgios took a medical timeout before serving out the opening set in 35 minutes and was clearly hampered by the injury against the 16th seed from Montreal.
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After losing the second set 6-1, Kyrgios shook hands with the Canadian rising star, forfeiting the match.
"I felt my ab, I definitely did something to it towards the end of the first set," Kyrgios said postmatch.
"I tried to play as long as I could and I’m sorry I couldn’t’ give you more today."
Kyrgios has not played competitive tennis since the 2021 Australian Open.
Unable to produce his normal velocity on serve, Kyrgios was powerless against his 20-year-old opponent and wisely decided not to risk any further damage.
"I haven’t played this level of tournament in a long time," Kyrgios said.
"Playing against someone as good as Felix, I need my serve to be firing on all cylinders, but I did something to my ab in the first set."
Auger-Aliassime was looking forward to playing Kyrgios, and he certainly noticed how well his third-round foe began.
"I'm an up-and-coming player, he's been a big entertainer for the last few years in our sport, so it was a big challenge to play him," the Canadian told The Wimbledon Channel. "And I felt like he was mixing up well his game at the start. He was serving amazing, so it was tough for me to find a way.
"He's always a big challenge. Last time we played I won, but [in a] tight three sets. So it's always a good one against him and hopefully the next time we're able to go all the way."
Auger-Aliassime is in the Round of 16 at the All England Club for the first time. He will face the fourth seed, Alexander Zverev of Germany, on Monday.
"It's a big one, the fourth seed, been the most consistent player of our generation in the last few years," Auger-Aliassime said.
"He's beaten me the last couple of times but now I'm going to try to step it up and play a good match, play some good tennis and then see where it leads me," the Canadian added.
