Tennis News: Hubert Hurkacz, Rafael Nadal and Angelique Kerber

Hubert Hurkacz tried to give it a go after clearly being injured in his match against Arthur Fils at Wimbledon. He went down to the ground, grabbed his leg, tried to play some more points, and simply couldn't. That might be the last time we see Hurkacz for a while, though.

The Polish player had hoped he could return in time to represent his country at the Olympics, but he could not. He had torn his meniscus, and unlike the same kind of injury that Novak Djokovic had at the French Open, Hurkacz was not going to come back as quickly. There is literally no timeline for his return now.

There is a likelihood that he will not play again until 2025. At least, that seems to be the case based on what the ATP No. 7 told Eurosport recently.

Hubert Hurkacz might be out until 2025, Angelique Kerber retires, Rafael Nadal needs some time

Hurkacz said, "We wanted to go to the Olympics to have a chance to fight for medals. Unfortunately, my health didn't allow me to do that this year, it's dangerous. I could do something to myself, since my leg isn't ready yet..."I spoke to the doctors right after my injury and eight out of ten said that realistically I could only play in Australia."

A couple of great players won't be playing at all again after the 2024 Paris Olympics. One is Andy Murray, of course, The other is Angelique Kerber. The three-time Grand Slam winner announced that the Olympics will be her final event. The German has not played at a high level this year, and she might simply want to spend more of her time with family and friends than trying to win tennis tournaments. Nothing wrong with that.

Kerber wrote on social media this week, "The finish line. Before the Olympics begin, I can already say that I will never forget #Paris2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player. And whereas this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and I’m thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me."

Kerber made the quarterfinals at the 2012 Olympic Games. She isn't expected to make a deep run in 2024, but then no one thought the retiring Danielle Collins would be as good as she has been this year either.

Another player who will be taking some time off, presumably, after the Olympics is Rafael Nadal. At the time of this writing, he had suffered an injury setback and was not sure if he would play in the singles part of the tennis at the Paris Olympics. He did still plan to play doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.

Speaking before the Olympics, Nadal would not confirm he would play the US Open in late August. The only tournament he plans on doing for sure is the Laver Cup. Might he be thinking of going out the same way Roger Federer did and playing his final professional match at that event?

Nadal said, "Nothing is linear in this life. There are moments and states, which usually go according to physical states. I try to enjoy and live what I feel at every moment, always with a positive vision of what my day-to-day life is within my possibilities. After here I will take some time to think carefully about what I need for myself as a person, what I really want to do. I'll play the Laver Cup."

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