By Ian Chadband
A shattered Nick Kyrgios has completed his own miserable 2023 “grand slam”, pulling out of this month’s US Open, the fourth major he has missed in an injury-wrecked season.
The US Tennis Association announced on Thursday the Canberran would miss the final slam of the year in New York, starting on August 28, following his pre-tournament withdrawals at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
It marks an unhappy conclusion to a tennis year Kyrgios hoped would cement his dazzling breakthrough of 2022, when he reached the Wimbledon final and took a set off Novak Djokovic in the final.
He looks set to end the year having played just one competitive match – a straight-sets defeat on a grass court in Stuttgart in June – firstly because of a knee injury and now a torn wrist ligament that caused his withdrawal from Wimbledon and has still not recovered.
“Heartbroken about the US Open [but I] will be back,” Kyrgios said in a statement.
“My wrist is not ready yet to compete. 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.”
After reaching the US Open quarter-finals last year – his last grand slam appearance – Kyrgios’ tale of woe began when he had to miss the Australian Open in January with the knee problem that required arthroscopic surgery.
He then pulled out before the French Open and tried to concentrate on being fit for Wimbledon, but withdrew from two grasscourt warm-up tournaments in successive weeks.
Nick Kyrgios has now missed all four major tournaments in 2023.Credit: AP
He was still adamant he would be fit to compete at the year’s biggest event at Wimbledon, giving a fairly bullish news conference to that effect on the eve of the tournament.
But later that Sunday, he announced his withdrawal, citing a wrist injury that he made no mention of in his conference. He has now told organisers he won’t be ready for Flushing Meadows, where he made his deepest run last year, including victory over reigning champion Daniil Medvedev before bowing out to Karen Khachanov in five sets.
His 2022 campaign had been a standout, not only because of his Wimbledon and US Open runs, but also with his victory at the ATP 500 event in Washington DC and his Australian Open doubles triumph with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
But his woes this year have seen him plummet in the world rankings. He is down to No.92 and is currently only the ninth-ranked men’s player in Australia.
Kyrgios will be outside the top 100 on Monday, and technically unranked going into the Australian summer – albeit with his protected ranking and wildcards to fall back on – if he skips the rest of this season to recuperate.
Fellow Australian star Ajla Tomljanovic is still on the US Open entry list, but has not played this year after undergoing her own knee surgery, while John Millman remains sidelined with a back issue that has kept him off the tour since February.
Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff is also out of the US Open, with Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta and Diego Schwartzman replacing him and Kyrgios.
Meanwhile, top-ranked Australian Alex de Minaur rallied from 5-1 down in the opening set to upset world No.9 Taylor Fritz 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 6-1 and set up a Canada Masters quarter-final against Medvedev.
But lucky loser Aleks Vukic’s tournament ended in the round of 16 in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Frenchman Gael Monfils. Sydney’s Vukic will make his top-50 debut next week.
AAP
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