Nick Kyrgios, expected attraction of the tournament, announced his retirement on Monday due to a knee problem.
Friday, the whimsical Australian had participated in a training session against Djokovic (in front of 15,000 spectators) but the test did not prove conclusive.
He was forced, psychologically “destroyed”, to give up before his first match against the Russian Roman Safiullin (98th in the world).
To discover
Australian Open: men's schedule and results
Australian Open: ladies schedule and results
This last minute withdrawal sounds like a blow for the Australian (Wimbledon finalist and US Open quarter-finalist who had lived a 2022 season full of promise), for the tournament which loses one of its main outsiders and for the spectators who were ready to ignite for the terrible child of Australian tennis (last year Kyrgios had, in the company of Thanasi Kokkinakis, ensured the spectacle by winning the doubles tournament).
For the first time in ten years, Nick Kyrgios (n°19) will not participate in the Australian Open.