Why did Nick Kyrgios withdraw from singles but keeps playing doubles in Atlanta?

| by Balasz Virag

After his great Wimbledon run, everyone wanted to see how far can Nick Kyrgios go at the 2022 Atlanta Open, but he withdrew from the tournament.

Or at least, the singles tournament. The 27-years-old Australian keeps playing doubles with Thanasi Kokkinakis and the duo will play the semifinals in Atlanta. But why did Nick Kyrgios withdraw from singles but keeps playing doubles?

Nick Kyrgios hints that he will become father next year
Nick Kyrgios hints that he will become father next year

When withdrawing from the singles tournament, Kyrgios came to the court to apologize to fans and he said:

“I just want to say that I’m extremely shattered that I’m not able to compete tonight. I’ve won this tournament once and, you know, I’m playing some of the best tennis of my career. All I wanted to do was come out there and give you guys a show and obviously see what I’m capable of, but I’m unable to give out my best performance today," said Kyrgios.

WATCH: Nick Kyrgios comes to apologize to fans in Atlanta after withdrawing due to injury
WATCH: Nick Kyrgios comes to apologize to fans in Atlanta after withdrawing due to injury

“I’m extremely sorry but I’m going to keep my hopes up and maybe be able to continue doubles with Thanasi this week. But I hope you won't be too hard on me."

After his run in the All England Club, he will try to continue in the similar style also during the North American swing, especially after he received a wild-card for the ATP 1000 event in Cincinnati.

Therefore, he will need to be very careful not to make the injury worse. Kyrgios has a knee injury which mostly limits his movement. That allows him to still play doubles where players are more static than during singles matches.

Also, he has more time to recover when he plays only one event rather than two and also gets some good match practice when he plays doubles despite being injured. A few weeks ago, Serena Williams showed that doubles can be a good way of getting into the rhythm ahead of a big event.

"I'm 60 in the world but I feel like I'm Top 10" - Kyrgios confident about his game
"I'm 60 in the world but I feel like I'm Top 10" - Kyrgios confident about his game

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