Nick Kyrgios pulled out injured from the Australian Open on Monday without hitting a ball, saying he was “devastated” to miss his home Grand Slam.

The talented but temperamental Australian, considered an outside chance of winning the title, had struggled with an ankle issue leading into the event.

But it was knee discomfort that forced the Wimbledon finalist out, a day before he was due to face Russian Roman Safiullin in the first round. He will require minor surgery. 

Kyrgios was also planning to defend his doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis.

He joins a growing list of players to withdraw from the opening Grand Slam of the year, including men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz and two-time women’s champion Naomi Osaka.

Read full story on www.sportsdesk.com.mt

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.