Bad news for all Australian tennis fans: The number one hope at the Australian Open, 27-year-old Nick Kyrgios, had to cancel his start at the Happy Slam just a day before his first round match. The man from Canberra gave this during a press conference called at short notice on Monday morning (CET).
“It’s just brutal,” said the Australian tennis pro: “It’s the most important tournament, but that’s life. Injuries are part of sport.”
The reason for this is knee problems, according to a member of the Australian’s team, Kyrgios suffered a slight tear in the meniscus, which could not be repaired in time.
The 27-year-old’s team emphasized that they gave their all. The exhibition match against Novak Djokovic in the run-up to the tournament was used to put the physical condition under competition conditions to the test, the few days before the start of the tournament were not enough to achieve the necessary match fitness. Kyrgios will now return to Canberra for knee treatment.
The ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells is, as the Australian’s team announced during the press conference, the place of the scheduled return of the world number 21.
Last year Kyrgios sensationally won the doubles title at the Australian Open alongside his buddy Thanansi Kokkinakis, a few months later the Australian played his first singles final at Grand Slam level in Wimbledon.
The original of this post “Shock! Nick Kyrgios cancels!” comes from tennisnet.com.
