Nick Kyrgios announcement leaves tennis fans gutted in US Open bombshell

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the US Open later this month, meaning he will have missed every grand slam of 2023. The Aussie star has played just one match at ATP level this year due to ongoing knee problems, while he withdrew from Wimbledon due to a torn ligament in his wrist.

After enjoying the best year of his career in 2022 that saw him reach the final at Wimbledon and the quarters at the US Open, his 2023 season has been wrecked by injuries. He was forced to withdraw on the eve of the Australian Open to undergo knee surgery, before the wrist ailment derailed his comeback at Wimbledon.

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He has now told organisers that he won't be ready for the season's final grand slam at the US Open, which gets underway in New York on August 28. It means he will likely only play one tour match this year - a tame defeat in Stuttgart in June.

US Open organisers also announced that Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff, the World No.25, has joined Kyrgios in withdrawing. Kyrgios and Struff will be replaced in the main draw by Argentinian players Facundo Diaz Acosta and Diego Schwartzman.

Tennis fans left gutted over news about Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios has plummeted to No.92 in the ATP rankings and is destined to fall out of the top 100. He will have a protected ranking in the top 20 if and when he makes his return, meaning he will be able to get wildcards to play in tournaments.

However there are genuine fears that Kyrgios might be on the verge of calling it quits from tennis for good. Speaking last month, the 28-year-old cast further doubts on his future by saying there was no way he'll still be playing in five years time.

"No f***ing chance. No way. Bro, there's no chance I'm playing until 33," he said on a video posted by the Ultimate Tennis Showdown. "Kyrgios playing until 33 is insane. I'm not playing until 33. Nah, I promise you, when I'm gone, you'll never see me again.

"The schedule is out of control. I'm getting old. 28. Yeah. But all the drinking and partying, I'm like 57."

Will Nick Kyrgios retire from professional tennis?

Hours before he withdrew from Wimbledon in early July, he was asked at a pre-tournament press conference whether he missed tennis during his time away. He replied: “No, I don’t miss the sport at all, to be fair. I was almost dreading coming back a little bit. But it’s my job.”

Speaking after Kyrgios' only match of the year in Stuttgart, Aussie great Mark Philippoussis foreshadowed that Kyrgios wasn't ready to return fully. "He's not even close to being fit, and I knew straight away he was in trouble," Philippoussis said at Wimbledon.

"If he comes back too early, which we have seen, and if he's not putting in the work physically on that knee to strengthen that joint, unfortunately I'm not sure how much we're going to see him. You have to give yourself every opportunity to come back and if you're a big guy and get a knee issue, you better get it right before you come back because it's just going to make it worse, you're going to be out further and your career could be done.

"I've become a knee expert after six knee surgeries and it's something you can't mess around with. You're talking about your movement.

"My worry for him years ago was 'is he putting in the work physically?' and if he was to get that first major injury, I'm not saying it could be career-ending but it could be very dangerous if you don't put in that rehab work. I don't care how good your hands are, if you're not getting to the ball, and you're one-and-a-half, two steps slower, against any top-100, 200 player, it's going to be tough out there."

with agencies

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