BREAKING NEWS: Nick Kyrgios ‘not playing’ at the French Open after the Australian star received a grim reality check in the race to return from a knee injury
- Nick Kyrgios will not play at the French Open this year, according to reports
- The 28-year-old suffered a knee injury this year
- His team hopes he will be available to compete at Wimbledon in the summer
Nick Kyrgios’ prospects for playing at the French Open look bleak after his manager said fans are unlikely to see the Australian star at Roland Garros.
Kyrgios, 28, is sidelined for the duration of 2023 with a knee injury, which required surgery after he pulled out of the Australian Open in January.
The Canberra-born star had hoped to be fit in time for the clay-court grand slam and revealed he wanted to take his girlfriend, Costeen Hatzi, to Paris with him.
However, The Age reports that he will not be playing in France this year after his manager, Daniel Horsfall, admitted they are unlikely to compete on clay.
“It doesn’t look likely,” Horsfall said.
Nick Kyrgios has reportedly pulled out of the French Open due to his knee injury
The 28-year-old had hoped to take his girlfriend, Costeen Hatzi, to Paris for the tournament
“We are doing everything we can to have Nick ready on the track as soon as possible.”
Kyrgios last played an official tournament in October and his extended absence has denied fans the chance to watch one of the sport’s most-watched stars compete at the highest level.
His team still harbors hopes of competing at Wimbledon this year, after the 28-year-old enjoyed a magical run to the grand slam final in SW19 in 2022.
Elsewhere, Thanasi Kokkinakis has received a wild card for participation in the tournament at Roland Garros.
The 27-year-old joins Kim Birrell as Tennis Australia’s men’s and women’s wild card recipients for the major in France.
Kokkinakis reached the last 32 on his tournament debut in 2015, and hopes to break into the top 100 men’s players in the world after a good performance.
However, his manager confirmed that fans are unlikely to see Kyrgios at Roland Garros
“It feels great to be back on the clay court. I feel I am playing well at the moment and have fond memories of playing with the French,” Kokkinakis said.
“I really appreciate getting the wildcard and can’t wait to ride in Paris again. I’ve had some solid wins on clay lately, so I hope I can build on that momentum and get some good results.”
Kokkinakis joins Alex de Minaur, Jason Kubler, Alexei Popyrin, Chris O’Connell, Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell in the men’s singles tournament.