Nick Kyrgios says he is ‘devastated’ after being forced to withdraw from the Australian Open less than 24 hours before he was set to play his first match.
The Wimbledon runner-up called a press conference at Melbourne Park on Monday where he confirmed that he will not be playing in his home Grand Slam due to a knee injury. Kyrgios missed two tournaments earlier this month due to an ankle issue but at the time there was no indication that he will not play at the Australian Open. He also took part in an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic last Friday.
“I’m devastated obviously. It’s my home tournament and obviously winning the tournament in doubles and playing the best tennis of my life probably,” Kyrgios said during his press conference.
“All I can do is my best to come back … It’s brutal.”
Providing details of his latest injury blow, Kyrgios confirmed that he has a cyst in his knee after a tear to his lateral meniscus which is cartilage outside the knee joint. The diagnosis was confirmed by MRI and has become a serious problem in recent days.
Also attending Kyrgios’ press conference was his physiotherapist Will Maher who said the tennis star did everything he could to be back on court.
“We used the charity event against Novak to see if he could compete at the highest level. He didn’t pull up great. It’s been pretty interrupted and difficult lead in,” he said.
“In the last week, Nick has experienced discomfort in his knee. There’s a small tear in his lateral meniscus. It was worth persevering to see if he can get back on court. To Nick’s credit he did everything to get back on court.”
The 27-year-old will now travel to Canberra where he will have minor surgery on his knee. It is understood that his goal is to be fully fit in time for Indian Wells which takes place in March.
Kyrgios has been replaced in the draw by lucky loser Denis Kudla. It is the first time he has missed the tournament since 2013.
