Nick Kyrgios has been left crestfallen after a recent knee damage pressured him to desert his deliberate return to motion on the French Open, leaving extra query marks over the luckless former Wimbledon finalist’s future within the sport.
Jordan Thompson, who had been set to play alongside his Australian compatriot in his first French Open for eight years, revealed the extent of his pal’s distress with Kyrgios telling him he didn’t know the way far more he might take after his newest setback.
“Nick was actually pumped to play right here. He saved messaging me each week, ‘you good to go for dubs [doubles] at Roland Garros’,” mentioned Thompson, who had been scuffling with a litany of accidents himself.
“I do know he was again residence in Australia coaching on clay, however just a few days in the past, Nick instructed me that he’s executed one thing to his knee, so sadly, he simply couldn’t be right here. He was fairly down. He instructed me he doesn’t know the way far more of those accidents he can take, and also you’ve simply obtained to really feel for him.
“As a result of as a lot as he says issues within the media, I feel he loves taking part in tennis and he loves being on courtroom, so it’s disappointing that he can’t be right here on the courtroom.”
The previous Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios, whose latest profession has turn into a stop-start affair riddled with damage issues, had declared solely a few weeks in the past that he would reunite with Thompson, whose common doubles companion Max Purcell is serving a ban for infringing doping rules.
The pair had performed as juniors, ending runners-up within the 2012 US Open.
However when the draw was introduced on Monday, it was confirmed Thompson would line up as a substitute alongside fellow Australian Jason Kubler for a first-round match on Tuesday towards French pair Quentin Halys and Albano Olivetti.
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Kyrgios will probably be at Roland Garros, the place he final competed in 2017 whereas reaching the second spherical, however solely off-court as a TV commentator, as he more and more turns his consideration to media alternatives with time seemingly working out to resurrect his profession on the age of 30.
“Yeah. I’m hoping that he can play, nevertheless it simply is dependent upon how his knee is,” mentioned Thompson.
Kyrgios, who has been tormented by knee and foot accidents and had reconstructive surgical procedure on his wrist, thought there was some gentle on the finish of the tunnel when he received his first singles match for two-and-a-half years towards American Mackenzie McDonald in Miami in March.
On day two of play at Roland Garros, Alja Tomljanovic outplayed the brand new teenage Morocco Open champion Maya Joint 6-1, 6-3, whereas Alexei Popyrin ended his French Open drought and Daria Kasatkina savoured her first grand slam win underneath the Australian flag.
However with 9 Australians in motion on a manic day in Paris, there have been inevitably casualties littered across the perennial pink tennis graveyard with Aleksandar Vukic, Chris O’Connell, Daria Saville, Kim Birrell and a battered Jordan Thompson all succumbing. Alex de Minaur makes his bow on Tuesday.
