Boris Becker appeared to be a bit stunned by Nick Kyrgios’ Australian Open withdrawal as he felt that the Australian looked well during his exhibition match against Novak Djokovic.
Kyrgios, who was scheduled to play the United Cup and Adelaide 2 leading up to the Australian Open, pulled out of those two events due to an ankle injury.
But on Friday, Kyrgios defeated Djokovic in an exhibition match at Rod Laver Arena.
Kyrgios appeared to be set to compete at the Australian Open but then withdrew due to a knee injury.
“It didn’t look that way on Friday night when he played two sets against Djokovic. He talked about injuries beforehand, but to the ankle and not to the knee. But what Kyrgios says and what he does are often two different things. Nevertheless, it is of course very bitter to have to pull out of your home Grand Slam before the first round due to an injury. It’s a pity for all of us,” Becker told Eurosport.
Becker feels it is ‘a pity’ that Kyrgios is out of the tournament
For the first time in many years, the Australians felt that they had a male player who is a legitimate title contender at Melbourne Park.
Following two deep Grand Slam runs at Wimbledon and the US Open, Kyrgios made it clear that his goal was to go all the way at Melbourne Park.
After withdrawing from the Australian Open, Kyrgios said he was “devastated.”
“Bad timing. Injuries are part of the sport. I’m not doubting that I’ll be back to my full strength. I’m devastated, obviously, it’s my home Slam and going into this event as one of the favourites, it’s brutal. I wanted to give myself hope, I thought I had a chance,” Kyrgios explained.
It remains to be seen when will Kyrgios be ready to kick off his 2023 season.
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