Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios said he was “extremely devastated” to be forced to withdraw from the Atlanta Open. On Tuesday, Kyrgios was scheduled to play his first-round match in Atlanta once morest Peter Gojowczyk.
Kyrgios did make an appearance on the court, but he only came to announce his withdrawal and apologize to fans who had bought tickets to see him. Kyrgios, who won his first doubles match in Atlanta with Thanasi Kokkinakis on Monday, pulled out of Atlanta’s singles with a knee injury.
He said he was ‘unable to give his best’ “I just want to say that I’m extremely devastated that I can’t compete tonight,” Kyrgios said, according to Tennis365.
“I won that tournament once and, you know, I’m playing some of the best tennis of my career. All I wanted to do was come out on the court and give you a show and obviously see what I’m up to. I’m able, but I’m not able to give my best performance today.
I’m extremely sorry, but I’ll keep hope alive and maybe be able to pursue the doubles with Thanasi this week.”
Kyrgios doesn’t want to jeopardize the US Open.
Kyrgios has been announced as a wildcard recipient for the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters.
The Montreal Masters will begin on August 7, while the Cincinnati Masters will begin on August 14. Kyrgios’ top priority is to be ready for the next two Masters, as well as the US Open.
Kyrgios had a great season on grass, reaching back-to-back semi-finals in Stuttgart and Halle before making his maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon. Kyrgios may not have won his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, but many believe he should be considered one of the favorites for the US Open title.
The US Open starts in a month and it remains to be seen how Kyrgios will fare until the last Grand Slam of the year.