Nick Kyrgios had been due to play his first match of the year in Sydney on Monday night but it wasn’t to be.
Nick Kyrgios sensationally pulled out of the Sydney Tennis Classic just hours before his first round match on Monday, meaning the polarising Aussie star will enter the Australian Open having not played a match since September.
Kyrgios withdrew from the Melbourne Summer Set last week due to illness and was given a wildcard entry into the Sydney Tennis Classic, which began on Monday at Sydney’s Olympic Park precinct.
The former World No. 13 had been due to face the tournament’s seventh seed, Italian Fabio Fognini, at Ken Rosewall Arena in the evening.
However, on Monday afternoon, representatives at Tennis Australia told News Corp that the Aussie World No. 114 had withdrawn at the last minute.
Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >
Speaking at a Sydney Tennis Classic Event only two days prior, Kyrgios had said he was looking forward to the summer ahead.
“I just want to go out there and have fun,” he said.
“I want to put on a good performance. It’s Australian summer.
“People are expecting me to put on a good show and I think I’m capable of doing that still.”
The news was devastating for Sydney tennis fans, who had only just come to grips with the fact that women’s World No. 1 Ash Barty had pulled out of the tournament.
Barty won the Adelaide International last week and announced on Monday that she would travel directly to Melbourne in preparation for the Australian Open instead of taking part in the Sydney Tennis Classic.
More to come.