A dejected Nick Kyrgios was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open on Monday – the day prior to his much-anticipated opening round singles match – after being diagnosed with an injured left knee requiring arthroscopic surgery.
Kyrgios, the 27-year-old Australian sensation, made a remarkable run to the Wimbledon singles finals last year, ultimately falling to Novak Djokovic in a hard-fought match.
The pair of friends, Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, then combined to capture the men's doubles title at the 2022 Australian Open, cementing their status as one of the most formidable duo in the sport.
Kyrgios was considered the host country’s strongest contender to win a title at Melbourne Park this year; no man from Australia has won the singles trophy there since 1976.
"Just bad timing. But that’s life. Injury is a part of the sport," said a downcast Kyrgios, who occasionally lowered his head or covered his face with a hand during a news conference at Melbourne Park alongside his physical therapist, Will Maher.
Kyrgios announced his withdrawal on the first day of action at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. "I’m just exhausted. Obviously pretty brutal. One of the most important tournaments of my career, hasn’t been easy at all," said Kyrgios of the decision to sit out.
He was seeded 19th in Melbourne and was supposed to face Roman Safiullin in the first round on Tuesday.
"Barely had a good night’s sleep the last four, five nights. It’s just been throbbing. Every time I land on serve or push off my serve, you can see on the side of my knee there’s like a little lump. That lump will eventually just get bigger and bigger. There’s pressure on my knee (that) obviously hinders my movement. Yeah, the only real way to get rid of it is to open up and then just get rid of it," said Kyrgios.
He is a mercurial character in tennis, known for alternating sometimes-brilliant and sometimes-uninterested play, as well as mixing in the occasional outlandish outburst during matches. He has spoken frankly about dealing with mental health issues.
Kyrgios also has been facing a charge of assault in a pending court case in his hometown of Canberra.
He is nothing if not attention-grabbing on and off a tennis court, certainly, which is why he is one of the athletes featured in the new Netflix docuseries "Break Point" that made its debut last week.
The Australian Open was supposed to mark Kyrgios' official season debut after he withdrew from tuneup play earlier in January. He used an exhibition match against Djokovic on Friday in front of a packed house at Rod Laver Arena to test the knee, but that did not go well.
Maher said that an MRI exam after Kyrgios felt discomfort in his knee revealed a cyst and a small tear in the lateral meniscus ligament. The trainer said the problem is "not career-threatening," and that Kyrgios should be able to return to competition by the hard-court tournament at Indian Wells, California, in March.
"Look, I’m not doubting I will be back to my full strength and playing the tennis I was playing prior to this event. Yeah, I’m devastated obviously. It’s like my home tournament. I’ve had some great memories here. Obviously last year, winning the title in doubles and playing the best tennis of my life, probably. Then going into this event as one of the favorites, it’s brutal," said Kyrgios.
"All I can do now, is just look forward, do what I need to do and come back," he added.