12 Aug 2023

Kyrgios pulls out of US Open as injury woes drag on

6:59 am on 12 August 2023

Australia's Nick Kyrgios celebrates beating Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas during their men's singles tennis match on the sixth day of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 2, 2022. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

Photo: GLYN KIRK

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the US Open, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said on Saturday, as the Australian's injury problems in a nightmare 2023 season showed no signs of easing.

The 28-year-old pulled out of the Australian Open and had surgery on his left knee earlier in the year. He was beaten in his comeback match after a five-month layoff when he fell to China's Wu Yibing in the Stuttgart Open first round in June.

World number 92 Kyrgios missed the French Open due to a foot injury suffered during the theft of his car and he pulled out of Wimbledon with a wrist ligament issue that has forced him out of New York as well.

"Heartbroken about the U.S. Open. Will be back ... My wrist is not ready yet to compete," Kyrgios, who has played only one ATP match all season, wrote on Instagram.

"But may I remind people I have a protected ranking of 21. When I choose to be back, I'll be back where I belong."

The injury problems come after a stellar 2022 campaign in which Kyrgios reached the Wimbledon final, captured the Washington title and made the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.

Germany Jan-Lennard Struff has also withdrawn from the U.S. Open, the USTA said.

Due to the withdrawals, Argentina's Facundo Diaz Acosta and Diego Schwartzman move into the main draw.

The season's final Grand Slam runs from August 28 to September 10.

- Reuters