Nick Kyrgios is almost certainly out of the Australian Open – if his own diagnosis is accurate
Nick Kyrgios has been one of the most talked about players ahead next week’s Australian Open, but he has revealed he may not be fit enough to play in his home Grand Slam with an announcement that will disappoint his fans.
Kyrgios has played just one match on the ATP Tour in the last two years, with a wrist injury putting his career in serious doubt.
Yet he made a comeback to competitive action at the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane last week, losing in a thrilling battle against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6(2) 6-7(4) 7-6(3).
He showed some signs of discomfort in his wrist in that match, but now a more significant problem could derail the Kyrgios comeback after he confirmed he has suffered an abdominal problem.
Kyrgios has been forced to pull out of an exhibition singles match against fellow tennis champion Novak Djokovic on Thursday night due to an abdominal setback, with the evening set to raise funds for a range of children’s charities.
The event will still go ahead with Djokovic taking centre stage, but Kyrgios will not be playing after he released this statement: “Unfortunately won’t be able to play my good friend (Djokovic) this Thursday as I’ve had an ultrasound on my abdominal and have a grade 1 strain,” Kyrgios wrote.
“Will be resting and doing everything I can to be OK by the Aus Open.”Imago*
As he has been away from the court for so long, it would not be surprising if his attempts to play competitive tennis once again resulted in an injury.
His failure to compete in Melbourne would put big doubts over his future in tennis once again, with his new status as one of the biggest voices in tennis likely to continue if he doesn’t play next week.
Kyrgios was a star performer in the commentary box at last year’s Australian Open and his controversial views have been a huge talking point in tennis over recent months.
The 2022 Wimbledon singles runner-up he has been the most vocal critic of Jannik Sinner since the world No 1 failed two drug tests last year and was not given a suspension.
Yet in the opinion of 17-time Grand Slam doubles-winning legend Mark Woodforde, Kygrios should focus on making headlines on the court rather than in the media.
“I hope that he can get back and let his racket do the talking on the court instead of coming up with these big comments,” Woodforde told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.
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“I think he has divided some of the players with the comments he has made about Sinner and it has put a big target on his back.
“It’s pretty brave to come up with these statements, but we don’t know how he is going to do as he has been away from tennis for so long.
“We saw him at some of the exhibitions in the latter part of this year, but that doesn’t give you any insight into how he’s going to play in competitive matches.
“The pressure of playing home in Brisbane, playing for ranking points, that’s different to exhibitions.
“This is probably a soft launch in his comeback playing in Australia, but there will be a lot of expectations around him.
“He will need to put some results together quickly and that won’t be easy because there will be a lot of player on the tour licking their lips at the opportunity to play against him and knock him back a step or two
“Hopefully he is going to be ready for the Australian Open and there will be a lot of attention around Kygrios, especially when Jannik Sinner turns up.”
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