(VIDEO) Homecoming Heartbreak for Yibing Wu, forced to retire in teary scenes at Hangzhou Open as injury woes continue

A player who is perhaps the answer to a quiz question of being the last victor against Nick Kyrgios, Yibing Wu like the Aussie has struggled with injuries since his 2023 breakthrough.

Last year, he won the Dallas Open and sat just outside the top 50. But surgery meant that the Chinese ace saw his momentum derailed and only months into his return, it seems that is the case again.

He played Challenger Tour after making his return in Houston and was handed a wildcard for his home tournament but it is safe to say it ended in heartbreak as he retired in tears on home soil in an unfortunate end for him.

His first event back he won in Jinan but in Shanghai, he had to give his opponent a walkover. He faced Hong Kong's Coleman Wong who became the first Hong Kong player to win a match since 1972 creating history of his own.

Wong managed to win the first set 6-3. But Wu was then forced to retire with injury. He was left in tears sat on his bench. Being his home tournament too, it adds to that sense of heartbreak.

He spoke before the tournament as perhaps the interview curse about his injury woes throughout his career. “I felt like it bothered me a lot last year after the grass season. Maybe the surface change and also the shoes, I didn’t feel really used to. So I started to feel it more after grass and that’s why I decided to do the surgery after the US Open.”

“I think the tougher parts of life always teach you something. I think we can all take these parts as motivation,” Wu said. “Mentally I will be even tougher because of the things I’ve [been] through. It's not easy for everybody.”