Nick Kyrgios 'Will Be Playing' At Australian Open Despite Exhibition Withdrawal
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The Australian Open tournament director, Craig Tiley, has insisted that Nick Kyrgios will play at the Australian Open despite concerns about an injury issue.
Kyrgios returned to the ATP Tour at the Brisbane International. It was just his second tournament since the end of 2022 because of severe wrist and ankle injuries that took him much time to recover from.
The 29-year-old's only other tournament before the event in Brisbane was a failed comeback attempt at the 2023 Stuttgart Open. He hoped to use the tournament as preparation for Wimbledon before realizing he was not ready to return.
There were many positive signs for Kyrgios in his first ATP tournament back. He pushed the huge-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to a deciding set tiebreak before narrowly losing to the young Frenchman.
Kyrgios also played doubles alongside Novak Djokovic. The pair thrilled fans by winning in the opening round before losing their next match despite being 8-6 up in the deciding-set tie-break.
Despite those positive signs, there were concerns about Kyrgios' wrist. He looked in pain during some moments of his match against Mpetshi Perricard, a situation undoubtedly not helped by his opponent's massive serve.
In a press conference after losing to the Frenchman, Kyrgios could not guarantee that he would be fit for the Australian Open and worryingly stated that reality had set in for him during the match with Mpetshi Perricard.
However, it was actually a different injury that led to Kyrgios withdrawing from an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open during the ongoing fan week. The reason he gave for that move was an abdominal strain.
The combination of the wrist injury and abdominal strain meant it sounded like Kyrgios' chances of being fit for the Australian Open had lessened considerably, which would be a blow to the tournament because of how many fans enjoy watching the controversial player.
Tournament director Tiley has tried to reassure fans before the season's opening Grand Slam begins on Sunday when questioned by reporters on Wednesday. He is adamant that Kyrgios will compete in Melbourne.
"Nick will be playing. I think it's just precautionary, that's the word we've got from him. Quite a few players do that (withdraw from an exhibition). It’s normal, and Nick’s not the only one not doing some of their pre-planned matches over the next few days. There's no concerns ahead of the Open."
Tiley risks looking misleading if Kyrgios cannot play at the Australian Open. The seven-time ATP champion has pulled out of tournaments after looking certain to play in the past, meaning the tournament director is taking a chance by sounding so confident.
In fairness to Kyrgios, he was very honest after withdrawing from the exhibition match with Djokovic and did not fully commit to playing at the Australian Open. Tiley may be trying to sound positive while trying to keep ticket sales high for the tournament.
Many fans planning to attend the Australian Open are excited to watch Kyrgios. Like him or loathe him, he is undoubtedly one of the most unique players in tennis in terms of style and personality.
