Australian Open 2024: Nick Kyrgios to miss home Grand Slam for second year running as injury troubles continue

Updated 09/12/2023 at 09:05 GMT

Nick Kyrgios is set to miss a fifth successive Grand Slam tournament after confirming his absence from the upcoming Australian Open. In an announcement on social media, the 28-year-old admitted injury problems have forced him to withdraw from his home Grand Slam, which gets underway on Sunday, January 14. "This is a very disappointing time for me,” he wrote. "Obviously, heartbreaking."

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Nick Kyrgios has announced that he will miss the Australian Open for a second successive year as his injury problems continue.

The 28-year-old, who missed his home Grand Slam last year after undergoing knee surgery, also missed the French Open as well as Wimbledon and the US Open due to an array of injury problems.

Kyrgios had hoped to return to the first Grand Slam of 2024 but confirmed on social media on Saturday that he will be unable to do so.

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"This is a very disappointing time for me, but I won't be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open," Kyrgios said in a post on social media on Saturday. "Obviously, heartbreaking.

“I've had so many amazing memories there, and I just want to really get back to playing at the top of my game and doing it right, and I need a little more time.

"I was so close to winning a Grand Slam. I want to make sure that my body is going to have the time it needs to come back, so please bear with me."

It will be the fifth consecutive Grand Slam tournament the Australian has missed following a career-best campaign in 2022.

After a second-round exit at the Melbourne major, he won the doubles tournament alongside teammate and friend Thanasi Kokkinakis.

He then missed the French Open but returned to Grand Slam action at Wimbledon where he reached the final and lost over four sets to Novak Djokovic.

Kyrgios won the Washington title before he was beaten by Karen Khachanov in the quarter-final of the US Open following a five-set thriller - his final Grand Slam appearance to date.

He endured an injury-hit campaign in 2023, beginning with a five-month absence following surgery on his left knee which meant he missed the chance to better his best effort at the Australian Open - a quarter-final in 2015.

After recovering from his knee injury, Kyrgios withdrew from the French Open because of a foot problem and then was forced out of both Wimbledon and the US Open because of a wrist ligament injury.

His name wasn't included in the Australian Open main draw on Thursday which sparked rumours that he would miss the tournament, which he eventually confirmed two days later.

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