Nick Kyrgios’ ‘heartbreaking’ decision to withdraw from Japan Open

Mere moments before he was set to take the court for his quarter-final face-off against Taylor Fritz at the Japan Open, Nick Kyrgios has been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury concerns.

Following his impressive doubles 6-1 6-2 win alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis and his crushing 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Tseng Chun-hsin, Kyrgios’ stellar run at the tournament has come to an end after the 27-year-old cited an ongoing knee injury as the reason for his withdrawal.

Kyrgios has also been forced to withdraw from the doubles semi-finals.

Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of tonight’s quarter-final, sending Taylor Fritz through to the semi-finals in Tokyo.

Get better soon, @NickKyrgios ????????#RakutenOpen pic.twitter.com/mLyuLi9QMD

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 7, 2022

“It’s obviously very disappointing,” he told reporters at Ariake Colosseum Arena.

“It’s one of my favourite tournaments. I’ve had great memories here. It’s heartbreaking, but I’ll be here next year. That’s for sure.

“I’ve been playing amazing tennis all year and actually was dealing with a bit of a knee issue around the US Open time.

“I got back home and probably didn’t take enough time off, to be honest. I went straight back into training.

“When your body lets you down, it’s not a good feeling. I know in this case it’s probably overloading rather than not being fit enough. I think it’s almost being too excited to get on the court and maybe training a little bit too much. So it’s positive, but heartbreaking at the same time.”

Fritz now advances to the semi-finals.

Fans were quick to offer their support to Kyrgios following his announcement.

Nick Kyrgios withdraws from Tokyo, where he would play singles QFs and doubles SFs today.

Hoping for nothing serious, but a big blow on his ATP Finals qualification chances.

Kyrgios would very likely make Turin in singles & doubles if Wimbledon points counted.

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 7, 2022

???? Speedy recovery champ

— Kay Enwright (@KaySmoggy) October 7, 2022

Shoots. Nick v Fritz would’ve been fun.

— Max Sloves (@BurritoSavant) October 7, 2022

Get well soon Nick ????

— Kaori (@kaori35888) October 7, 2022

It’s not the first time injury concerns have impacted Kyrgios’ ability to compete, during the men’s quarter-finals at the US Open Kyrgios was plagued by a knee injury throughout the match.

“I can’t walk without pain,” he was heard saying.

“I don’t want to f****** play through this s***.”

Khachanov claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 victory over Kyrgios in five sets, ending the Australian tennis star’s US Open campaign.

Kyrgios’ difficult decision to withdraw from the Japan Open comes after the 27-year-old was left on a high following his win in the doubles quarter-finals alongside fellow Australian Kokkinakis.

Following the match Kyrgios took to social media to brag about his skills on the court after a jaw-dropping move during play.

Although it seemed as though Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka and Kaichi Uchida were about to gain a point over the Aussies, Kyrgios quickly turned the tide by hitting the ball around the net post to secure a point.

Kyrgios celebrated with a fist pump into the air, turning to high-five Kokkinakis with an ecstatic smile.

“Oh wow, he really enjoyed that one and so he should,” the commentators said.

“That was a Kyrgios special in Tokyo.You give him that gap and he will exploit it, what a shot.”

Kyrgios shared the footage of his awe inspiring shot on Twitter with the caption: “I’m good.”