Koepfer withdraws from Wimbledon, gifting Van Assche lucky loser spot

Dominik Koepfer, unable to recover from an ankle injury, has withdrawn from Wimbledon, with Luca van Assche taking his place as a lucky loser

Imago/Panoramic

Bren Gray

June 30, 2024

Germany’s Dominik Koepfer has been unable to recover from the ankle injury that kept him out of the Eastbourne Open last week, withdrawing from Wimbledon on Sunday afternoon.

The world No 66’s inability to compete hands Frenchman Luca van Assche a lucky loser spot in the main draw, against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini.

Van Assche fell in the final round of qualifying at Wimbledon this week, losing 6-7(4), 5-7, 2-6 to Lucas Pouille. He’d earlier fought his way past Jules Marie 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(8) and Li Tu 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(7) in the opening two rounds of qualifying.

The Frenchman is in a challenging spot of form, having spent the majority of recent months on the Challenger Tour. Earlier this year, he made a breakthrough run to the third round at the Australian Open, however.

Koepfer joins Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Corentin Moutet as players to withdraw from Wimbledon after the draw has been announced.