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The news we all feared might come to light has officially been announced within the last few hours. Nick Kyrgios has announced his immediate withdrawal from the 2023 Australian Open, and unfortunately, it’s been made official. An emotional press conference earlier this morning showed Kyrgios feeling rather despondent about being forced out of the tournament. And for those who follow the Aussie on social media, you can see exactly what the problem is.
Yet for those who don’t follow Kyrgios on any social channels, I can confirm that the withdrawal has come due to a problematic knee issue. Specifically, Kyrgios had a cyst on his left knee which was actually drained over the last few days. Since this was filled with fluid, the cyst was causing Kyrgios great pain in the knee when moving around the court. However, this wasn’t the main reason for the withdrawal, despite what some reports are claiming.
Kyrgios has actually withdrawn because of a tear in the meniscus in that knee. This can happen due to wear and tear on the body of tennis players over time. And of course, unfortunately for Nick, this has come at the worst possible time. His withdrawal means that the potential clash with Djokovic is now no longer going to happen.
This is awful news for fans of Kyrgios, as well as for him personally, naturally. Yet this withdrawal also comes with other implications too, which I shall quickly cover.
2023 Australian Open – Nick Kyrgios Withdrawal
It’s obviously horrible news to share with you all that Kyrgios has been forced to withdraw from the men’s singles. He was one of the favourites according to the bookmaker odds this year. And following his success during the 2022 season, I really did feel that he had the potential to do big things in his home slam in 2023. But it’s not meant to be, as we can see.
However, there are a couple of other things I must mention that relate to this breaking news story.
Surgery Required
Because Kyrgios has suffered a slight tear in his meniscus, this means that he will have to undergo surgery. This is fairly standard for this particular injury. Yet for the moment, it’s unclear whether Kyrgios will have the surgery immediately while he is in Melbourne. This has yet to be announced. But for the sake of Kyrgios and his fans, I would hope that he proceeds to do the surgery as soon as possible.
This way he can get back on the court and start preparing for some of the bigger tournaments coming up over the next few months.
Replaced by Kudla
Since the draw was made prior to the time at which Kyrgios withdrew, he has been replaced by a ‘lucky loser’. This term simply indicates a player who lost in the last round of qualifying. And on that note, the American, Denis Kudla has stepped in to take Kyrgios’ spot in the main draw. Kudla will still play Safiullin, however, as the draw doesn’t get switched around following such a withdrawal.
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