‘I feel like a pussy’: Thompson’s body finally fails him at Wimbledon

3 weeks ago 11

Jordan Thompson’s brave Wimbledon run has ended abruptly as his broken-down body finally failed him while hunting a maiden grand slam quarter-final.

Thompson retired while trailing fifth seed Taylor Fritz 6-1, 3-0 – already a double-break down in the second set – and having watched the American flash a forehand winner that he had no hope of chasing down to go 40-0 up.

Jordan Thompson meets American Taylor Fritz at the net after retiring from their fourth-round match at Wimbledon.

At that stage, Fritz had won 40 of 52 points, and their fourth-round match had long ago lost any competitiveness as referred issues in Thompson’s right leg from an ongoing back injury proved his downfall.

The world No.44 started well enough and had two game points to hold for two-all, only to aggravate the injury a point later, when he had to scurry back to the baseline to chase down a Fritz lob – and his physical problems worsened from there.

It was a disappointing, but not particularly surprising, finish to Thompson’s best-ever run at the All England Club, which matched his two round-of-16 showings at the US Open.

Alex de Minaur, who faces seven-time champion Novak Djokovic on Monday, is the last Australian left in the singles draw.

“I was pretty sore, and I was sore every day, and was waiting for [this] to happen … so I’m glad it happened today, and not in the first round, because, honestly, I was thinking of not playing this tournament,” Thompson said.

“I’m taking the positives. It’s my best result here, so it’s still a great tournament. [I was] down two sets to love in the first round, down two sets to one in the second round, and then played a good match the other day to make it through the second week.

“Today doesn’t feel too valiant at all, but I guess looking back on it, it’s a pretty good effort. It’s behind me now, so I’m not really too worried about it. Honestly, I feel like a bit of a pussy [for] pulling out.”

All the focus was on Thompson’s back issue across the first three rounds – including back-to-back five-set wins to start – but the fact that he played with strapping on both legs in the Fritz clash was evidence that he was dealing with more.

Thompson speaks to the trainer about his injury, shortly before leaving the court for a medical timeout.

His coach Marinko Matosevic and Australia’s Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt urged him from courtside to call for the trainer, which he eventually did after the third game of the second set.

There was also kinesiology tape on the inside of Thompson’s right leg, which he revealed during the on-court assessment after ripping the strapping off. Soon after, he left the court for a medical timeout.

There was an eight-minute delay as all this played out, then Thompson lasted only three more points before walking to the net to put himself out of his misery.

“It got significantly worse today. I’ve played a lot of tennis on a body that shouldn’t have been [put through that], and it just took its toll,” he said.

“I had strapping on both legs [to] keep it warm, and give it a bit of support. But that lob [in the fourth game] didn’t help. I went to jump, and something didn’t go right. After that, I was really hurting, and I wasn’t moving to anything. I felt like I couldn’t push off any more.”

It is the fourth time in 11 tournaments this year, including at Queen’s Club a fortnight ago, that Thompson has retired mid-match or handed his opponent a walkover due to injury.

Watching him grimace and grab his right hamstring every time he attempted to retrieve a low volley illustrated what he put himself through across the past week.

Thompson’s list of ailments in 2025 includes a ruptured plantar fascia in his right foot – which sidelined him for two months after the Australian Open – a groin tear, an oblique tear and a herniated disc.

Thompson felt his injury most when he had to hit low volleys.

His team, including physiotherapist Luke Fuller, previously diagnosed this latest problem as an injury to the sacroiliac joint, but he will undergo an MRI scan to determine whether it is actually the herniated disc flaring up.

Thompson has not ruled out continuing his Wimbledon doubles campaign with France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert, but the strong likelihood is they will withdraw from their third-round clash against defending champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.

“I told my partner if, by some miracle, I wake up tomorrow morning and feel like I had been in the previous matches that I’ll play – but I’d say [I am] a 95 per cent chance of not playing,” he said.

“If I can’t play singles, I’d say doubles is a lot more reactive as well. You’re at the net, fast volleys, you’ve got to return every second point, and it’s nearly worse when you’re up at the net and trying to fight off a reflex because they’re the movements that [hurt most].”

Thompson expects to spend the period after Wimbledon “living in the gym”, completing core exercises in the hope of returning for a couple of tournaments before the US Open, which starts on August 24.

The first of the two Masters 1000 events ahead of Flushing Meadows is in Toronto on July 27, but the second in Cincinnati on August 7 might be a more realistic target.

Marc McGowan travelled to Wimbledon with the support of Tennis Australia.

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