The 2024 Australian Open men's entry list was released on Wednesday, and the most notable absentee was that of home crowd favorite Nick Kyrgios.
Next month's Australian Open is set to commence on January 14, marking the first time that the tournament will have a Sunday start. Kyrgios, a former doubles champion at the tournament, was expected to shoulder the country's biggest hopes in singles.
It is still theoretically possible that Kyrgios could play by being granted a wild card, but realistically, that looks very unlikely at this point. Having played just one match last season, the 28-year-old spent more time on the treatment table nursing a knee injury and a debilitating wrist issue.
His chances of playing in Melbourne are diminishing with each passing day, and the biggest hint that Kyrgios might now face the inevitable withdrawal is that he hasn't signed up for any warm-up events at the start of January 2024.
This year's main draw entry at the Australian Open was reduced to 97 because as many as seven players entered the event with a Protected Ranking, chief among them being Rafael Nadal. Kyrgios had a PR of World No. 21 and would have slotted right in the thick of things.
In his most recent update about his health, Kyrgios told followers on Tennis Channel that stars would need to "align" for him to return to competition. That could mean a comeback is not happening in due course, which is a shame, considering he was coming off a career-best year in 2022.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley sounded pessimistic about his countryman's chances of playing at the year's first Grand Slam but promised that Kyrgios would be in Melbourne "in some form" and that his injury situation is being assessed on a day-to-day basis.
If Kyrgios misses the Australian Open as expected, a role within the television booth could suit him after doing a decent job as a pundit for Tennis Channel at the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin.
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