MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Nick Kyrgios says he is not fit enough to play singles at the Australian Open, but will compete in doubles with fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis at Melbourne Park.
Kyrgios, who starred in the so-called “ Battle of the sexes ” against Aryna Sabalenka last month, had been announced by local media to receive one of Tennis Australia’s three remaining wild-card entries.
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TA announced later Friday that 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka and Australian players Jordan Thompson and Chris O’Connell had received them. The forty-year-old Wawrinka has already announced this year will be his last season on tour.
Kyrgios said on social media on Friday that he would only play doubles at the tournament, which begins on January 18. Multiple wrist and knee surgeries have limited Kyrgios to just seven singles matches over the past three years, with his ranking falling to 670.
The 30-year veteran the last singles match only lasted 66 minutes – a 6-3, 6-4 defeat against American Aleksandar Kovacevic at the Brisbane International this week.
Kyrgios, who reached the Wimbledon 2022 final, said his body was not yet ready for five-set tennis and he wanted the wild card to go to someone who could “make their moment count.”
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“After some good conversations with TA, I decided to focus on doubles for this year’s AO,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m fit and back on the field, but five passers is a different beast, and I’m not quite ready to go the distance yet.
“This tournament means everything to me, but I’d rather give my spot to someone who is willing to make their moment count. These are all building blocks, and I’ll be back next year and motivated to compete.”
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
