Nick Kyrgios makes a big announcement over his Australian Open participation
Nick Kyrgios was pushing hard for an Australian Open wildcard and was quick to hit out at anyone who suggested he didn’t deserve one as recently as last week, but he has now confirmed he will not be playing in singles at his home Grand Slam later this month.
Kyrgios looked less than fully fit in his ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match against women’s world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka last month, leading many observers to conclude he was not in shape to play best-of-five-set matches at a Grand Slam event.
Despite that, Kyrgios hit out at former British No 1 Greg Rusedski, after he claimed the Aussie did not deserve a free ticket to play in the opening major of the tennis year.
When asked whether he feels Kygrios justifies a wildcard at this stage of his comeback, Rusedski was quick to offer his verdict.
“I wouldn’t,” he said on an Off Court Cuts edition of his podcast. “He’s have to have some phenomenal results. A win in Brisbane. Go deep or get to quarters or semis in the build-up.
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“You have to look at all those up-and-coming Australian players and give them the opportunity to play.
“He’s box office. He brings people into stadiums, but he needs to show some form and from his performance (against Sabalenka), he doesn’t look ready to play best-of-five-sets.”
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash offered up similar sentiments, as he spoke exclusively to Tennis365 about the Aussie maverick and his disappointment with his physical conditioning.
“There is no excuse, unless you haven’t got your heart right in it, to come back absolutely ripped. He didn’t look bad, but when you come back on tour, you have to make a statement,” Cash told Tennis365, as he spoke about Kyrgios in his role as an ambassador for the Bank of China Hong Kong Open.
“There is no denying his talent and his shots, so to come back looking really fit would have been a sign. All the other players would have said ‘gee, he looks good, I’m not going to outlast him’. But that doesn’t look like the situation.
“We will see after six months of playing matches because he should be fitter and in great form. And he is a danger, certainly on a fast court like grass. That is something you would think he would have a goal towards.”
Now the debate over whether Kyrgios will be given a wildcard by Tennis Australia has come to an end, as the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up appeared to suggest he had been given negative news in his discussions with tournament officials after his first round defeat in his comeback event in Brisbane this week.
“After some good conversations with TA, I’ve made the call to focus on doubles for this year’s AO,” said Kyrgios on Instagram.
“I’m fit and back on court, but 5-setters are a different beast and I’m not quite ready to go the distance yet.
“This tournament means everything to me, but – I’d rather give my spot to someone who’s ready to make their moment count.
“It’s all building blocks and I’ll be back next year and pumped to compete. See you out there.”
Kyrgios will play with his old pal Thanasi Kokkinakis at this year’s Australian Open, as the duo look to revive memories of their win in the tournament back in 2022.
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