Kyrgios confirms he won’t compete at the Australian Open

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FILE - Australia’s Nick Kyrgios listens during a pre-tournament press conference at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, south west London, Sunday July 2, 2023. Kyrgios, the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022, is setting up a free-to-access OnlyFans page. (Florian Eisele/Pool Photo via AP, File)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Nick Kyrgios has confirmed he won’t compete at the Australian Open next month because of ongoing injury concerns.

The 28-year-old Australian said on social media he’ll miss the Grand Slam for a second straight year and did not put a timeline on his return from a lingering wrist injury.

“Obviously had a really tough year with injury, had that knee surgery and came back a little bit too soon and set me back a little bit, then obviously had some wrist issues,” Kyrgios said on the subscription website OnlyFans, which he joined on Friday. “So this is a very disappointing time for me, but I won’t be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open.

“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.

Kyrgios, whose name was absent from the entry list for the tournament, pulled out of last season’s Australian Open due to knee surgery.

Kyrgios was the runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022 but played in just one official singles match in 2023, a straight sets loss on grass at Stuttgart.

Kyrgios teamed with Thanasi Kokkinakis to win the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles championship.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis