Australian star Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from this month’s US Open as he works his way back from injury, organizers said Thursday.
Kyrgios has played just once in 2023 following knee surgery in January, and a wrist injury subsequently forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon and ATP events in Washington, Toronto and Cincinnati.
Kyrgios has played in just one official singles match all season — a loss in Stuttgart, Germany, in June.
The 28-year-old reached the quarter-finals of the US Open last year after a run that saw him knock out then world number one Daniil Medvedev.
However he was bundled out in the last eight by Russian 27th seed Karen Khachanov, and exited the tournament visibly distraught.
Soon after that, he withdrew from Wimbledon, citing a wrist injury. It was at the All England Club in 2022 that Kyrgios turned in his best run at one of the sport’s four most important events, finishing as the runner-up to Novak Djokovic.
Then, at the U.S. Open a year ago, Kyrgios made his deepest run at Flushing Meadows by making it to the quarterfinals. He eliminated reigning champion and No. 1-seeded Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round, before losing in five sets to Karen Khachanov.
The 28-year-old from Australia began 2023 by sitting out the Australian Open because of an injured left knee that required arthroscopic surgery.
He also missed the French Open. All of the time away has resulted in Kyrgios dropping in the ATP rankings and he is currently No. 92.
US Open organizers said Thursday Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, the world number 25, had also withdrawn from the year’s final Grand Slam tournament.
Kyrgios and Struff will be replaced in the main draw by Facundo Diaz Acosta and Argentinian compatriot Diego Schwartzman.
Play begins in the singles main draws at the U.S. Open in New York on Aug. 28. The brackets will be determined on Aug. 24.
Hours before Kyrgios withdrew from Wimbledon in early July, he was asked at a pre-tournament news conference whether he missed tennis during all of the time away.
“No, I don’t miss the sport at all, to be fair. I was almost dreading coming back a little bit,” he said with the hint of a smile. “But it’s my job.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
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