Just hours before his scheduled first round match against Roman Safiullin, Nick Kyrgios announced his withdrawal from the Australian Open on Monday in a surprise press conference. Kyrgios made the decision following a left knee injury that will require arthroscopic surgery.
A routine MRI revealed that Kyrgios had a small tear and cyst in his lateral meniscus.
“I’m devastated. It’s brutal,” Kyrgios said Monday, The Associated Press reported. “It’s my home tournament, and obviously winning the tournament in doubles [last year] and play the best tennis of my life. All I can do is do my best to come back.”
Kyrgios had just faced nine-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic on Friday in a charity match at Melbourne Park. According to The Associated Press, Kyrgios’ physical therapist Will Maher said the tennis star “didn’t do very well” after the exhibition match – an event he attended to test the injured knee.
“We took advantage of the charity event against Novak to see if he could compete at the highest level,” Maher said. “It was [a] rather interrupted and difficult introduction. Last week, Nick experienced knee discomfort. There’s a small tear in his lateral meniscus. It was worth persevering to see if he can get back on the court. To Nick’s credit, he did everything to get back on the court.”
Kyrgios was coming off an impressive 2022 season in which he won the Australian Open doubles title with compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis last year. The 27-year-old star also reached the Wimbledon final before losing to Djokovic last July.
“I’ve barely had a good night’s sleep the last four or five nights. It’s just thrilling. … Every time I land on the serve or push my serve away, you can see on the side in my knee there is like a little bump. It will eventually get bigger and bigger,” Kyrgios said. “There’s pressure on my knee (which) obviously impedes my movement. Yeah, the only real way to get rid of it is to open up and get rid of it.”
Kyrgios is expected to return to Canberra, Australia at some point over the next two weeks for surgery. Maher has confirmed that Kyrgios should be able to return to the court for the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indians Wells, California in March.
