Mats Wilander Puts Off Comeback Plans, Won’t Play at Wimbledon

Sweden’s Mats Wilander, ranked No. 1 in men’s tennis late last year, today postponed his plans for a comeback and will not play in Wimbledon.

“I have not been able to concentrate on tennis in the past months,” Wilander told Swedish national radio. He said he is aiming to return to competition when the Swedish Open starts in Bastad on July 9.

“Wimbledon is not the easiest tournament in which to make a comeback,” he said.

Wilander denied that he had any “serious intentions” of quitting tennis.

He said his first goal is to “become one of the 10 best, maybe, linger there for a while, and then climb. But foremost I want to enjoy tennis again.”

Wilander has been struggling to find motivation since he was ranked No. 1 for four months after beating Ivan Lendl in the 1989 U.S. Open final. Wilander reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in January but has played little since. A three-time French Open champ, the 25-year-old Wilander skipped Paris for the first time this year because of his father’s death.