"Anything to keep his name in the public, never mind tennis" - Fans react to Nick Kyrgios' Australian Open withdrawal
Nick Kyrgios recently announced his withdrawal from the 2024 Australian Open. The news disappointed a lot of tennis fans, who were awaiting the Aussie's return at the Grand Slam tournament.
Kyrgios had a season to forget in 2023. The Aussie was troubled by a knee injury in the early stages of the year. While he made a return on the tour at the BOSS Open, a wrist injury forced the 28-year-old to the sidelines once again.
Kyrgios, still battling with his wrist issue, recently took to his OnlyFans account to announce his withdrawal from the upcoming Melbourne Major.
"Hey guys, Nick Kyrgios here. [I have] obviously had a really tough year with injury, had that knee surgery and came back a little too soon, [which] set me back a little bit [and I have] had some wrist issues. So, this is a very disappointing time for me, but I won’t be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open," Kyrgios said.
In response, several tennis fans online expressed their frustration. One fan opined that the Aussie's announcement was nothing but a public stunt.
"Anything to keep his name in the public eye. Never mind tennis, it's the publicity," the fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another fan called Kyrgios the "biggest waste of talent" in modern sporting history.
"He’s essentially retired. The biggest waste of talent in modern sporting history," their tweet read.
Here are a few other fan reactions to Kyrgios' withdrawal from the 2024 Australian Open:
Nick Kyrgios to be part of Australian Open as commentator
Nick Kyrgios made his commentary debut at the 2023 ATP Finals. He joined Brett Haber and Jim Courier for the Tennis Channel to share his thoughts on the group stage clash between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.
Kyrgios will once again don the commentator's role at the Australian Open. The former World No. 13 told his fans that he had something special planned, including match commentary, for the tournament.
"Even though I won’t be there competing this year at the AO, I still will be around, commentating matches, being around – I’ve got some special things planned, so please be excited still. You know I’ll be there and hopefully see all the fans. I’ll see you there," Kyrgios said, via the aforementioned source.
The Aussie also asked fans to be patient for his return to the court, as he stressed the importance of allowing his body enough time to recover.
"I want to make sure that my body is going to have the time it needs to come back, so please bear with me," he stated.