Last Updated: December 09, 2023, 10:55 IST
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios (AFP Image)
Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from next month’s Australian Open for a second successive year due to ongoing injuries.
Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the Australian Open on Saturday as he continues to struggle for fitness after a long injury absence, calling the decision “heartbreaking”.
Kyrgios pulled out of the Melbourne major this year as the Australian showstopper had knee surgery in January and then aborted plans to return at Wimbledon after tearing a ligament in his wrist.
He was defeated in his comeback match following a five-month layoff, falling to China’s Wu Yibing in the Stuttgart Open first round in June.
He said last month “the stars would need to align” for him to be ready for his home Grand Slam in January, and the one-time world number 13 confirmed on Saturday time had run out.
“So, this is a very disappointing time for me, but I won’t be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open,” Kyrgios said on the subscription website OnlyFans, which he joined as a content creator last week.
“Obviously, heartbreaking. I’ve had so many amazing memories there, and I just want to really get back to playing at the top of my game and doing it right, and I need a little more time.
“Even though I won’t be there competing this year at the AO, I still will be around, commentating matches, being around,” he added.
The 28-year-old then missed the French Open due to a foot injury suffered during the theft of his car, and he pulled out of Wimbledon with a wrist ligament problem that also forced him out of the U.S. Open.
Last month, Kyrgios said that winning a Grand Slam remained his driving force, having come closest at Wimbledon in 2022 when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final.
The Australian Open runs from January 14-28 at Melbourne Park, with Aryna Sabalenka defending the women’s title and Djokovic, the men’s.
While Kyrgios will be missing, 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal — who has not played since this year’s Australian Open due to injury — is on the entry list.
So too is four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who gave birth to daughter Shai in July. She has not played since September 2022, having also struggled with her mental health.
(With inputs from Agencies)
