Injured Australian star Nick Kyrgios believes different standards apply to different players in tennis, citing Pablo Carreno Busta's latest withdrawal.
The Spanish baseliner has not fully recovered from a persistent elbow injury that has limited him to just a handful of appearances this year and has not played since early February and now he withdrew from his title defense at the Canadian Open in Toronto. Even though Carreno Busta was pictured practicing in recent weeks, his latest withdrawal is an indication the pain is still there.
Carreno Busta is set to drop 1000 ranking points for missing next week's Canadian Open after his stunning triumph last year and is expected to leave the world's ATP Top 100 for the first time in 10 years. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist sent his best wishes to the Spaniard for a speedy recovery but hit out at tennis pundits who pick and choose in pouring sympathy.
Kyrgios tweeted in response to prominent Portuguese journalist Jose Morgado's tweet about Carreno Busta's injury and the imminent consequences on his ranking. The Australian star previously lambasted tennis commentator Jimmy Arias for his wild claims about his absence from tennis.
"Hope he gets well soon. Wish I got similar understanding when missing tournaments with injury."
Kyrgios, like Carreno Busta, has been hampered by injuries throughout the year. First, it was torn meniscus in his knee, and then he picked a wrist injury during the grass swing where he played his only match of the season - a first-round defeat to Yibing Wu in Stuttgart.
Despite contradictory reports about Kyrgios potentially appearing in Washington and Toronto, he's rebuffed those rumors and confirmed he will miss both events as part of the US Open summer swing. He has yet to confirm his return date, citing the need for more recuperation time.