Kyrgios rules himself out of an Australian Open singles wildcard

2 months ago 4

Nick Kyrgios has ruled himself out of a potential singles wildcard spot in the Australian Open, after deciding to focus on doubles with his partner Thanasi Kokkinakis in Melbourne.

Kyrgios has battled with significant wrist and knee surgeries over the last three years with his current singles ranking sitting at 670 in the world.

On Friday morning, the former Wimbledon finalist revealed on Instagram that he wanted the wildcard spot to go to a player who was ready for the rigours of five-set tennis.

“After some good conversations with TA [Tennis Australia], I’ve made the call to focus on doubles for this year’s AO,” Kyrgios posted.

“I’m fit and back on court, but five-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.

Nick Kyrgios at the Brisbane International this week.

“It’s all building blocks and I’ll be back next year and pumped to compete. See you out there.”

Last Tuesday, Kyrgios played his latest singles match, which ended in a quick first round 6-3 6-4 defeat to world No.55 Aleksandar Kovacevic at the Brisbane International.

After that defeat, Kyrgios highlighted the toll that injuries had taken on his body since a 2022 campaign that included a Wimbledon final and an Australian Open doubles title with Kokkinakis.

“I genuinely thought I was the best player in the world,” Kyrgios said.

“After you have those surgeries, I guess they pull you down and you don’t have that belief anymore. It’s sad in a way.

“That’s just the reality. People out there think you go under the knife, come back and you’re the same player.

“It’s not how it is. That’s just sport; you can’t get too upset and that’s why you’ve got to be grateful for moments like that doubles match the other night.”