Nick Kyrgios has urged Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to play at the Australian Open, saying that it would be a “disaster” if the ‘Big Three’ will not play in the tournament.
Swiss ace Roger Federer has already pulled out as he recovers from a knee injury and Nadal’s plans are unclear after contracting Covid-19.
Djokovic is on the entry list for the first Grand Slam of the year, which begins in less than three weeks, but has refused to confirm if he has been vaccinated, casting doubt on whether he will turn up.
The dominant ‘Big Three’ have won 20 Grand Slam titles each and Kyrgios said tennis still needs them, starting in Melbourne next month.
“I honestly don’t know Novak’s current situation with anything Covid-related or what he needs to play,” the colourful Kyrgios told the Melbourne Age newspaper.
“I hope he’s had a good Christmas and I hope he’s able to play in the sport for as long as possible because I’ve voiced before I think Federer, Nadal and Djokovic need to be (playing).
“If all three aren’t there, it’s a disaster. It’s an absolute disaster for the fans and the people that enjoy tennis.
“Yes, it’s obviously a good opportunity for some of the younger guys to come through and make an impact, but as a whole, we do need them to be part of the sport.”
Adding to the Australian Open woes, Dominic Thiem, who lost to Djokovic in a five-set classic in the 2020 final, said late Tuesday he would miss the event with a wrist injury.
Meanwhile, Russian world number five Andrey Rublev and Canada’s Wimbledon semi-finallist Denis Shapovalov are also recovering from coronavirus, casting a shadow over their preparations.
The Australian Open starts at Melbourne Park on January 17.
Australia’s Kyrgios, who has slipped to 93 in the world, has not played since the Laver Cup in late September, citing a knee injury, and said he was looking forward to performing again in front of his home fans.
“My knee is something that has been hindering my career for a while now, it’s just something I had cleaned up last year and it feels good,” he told the newspaper.
“I want to enjoy myself, I want to be happy, and that is it.”
He is set to kickstart his 2022 campaign at the Melbourne Summer Set event from January 4.
Djokovic’s participation in doubt
Novak Djokovic has not withdrawn from the ATP Cup despite claims he was almost sure to do so, Tennis Australia said Tuesday, as other top players led by Naomi Osaka began arriving ahead of the Australian Open.
There has been serious doubt as to whether men’s world number one Djokovic would travel to Australia, having refused to confirm if he has been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
An unnamed member of his team told Serbian newspaper Blic that they were “99 percent” sure that he would not play in the ATP Cup, which comes ahead of the Australian Open, adding to the intrigue over whether Djokovic would be at the first Grand Slam of the year.
But Tennis Australia told AFP the Serbian had yet to pull out of the teams event, which is due to start on Saturday in Sydney with Djokovic drawn to play Norway’s Casper Ruud on the opening day.
“We haven’t heard of any withdrawals from Team Serbia for the ATP Cup,” a spokesperson said.
Tennis Australia has organised charter flights to bring international stars into Melbourne and Sydney, with the first arriving Tuesday.
Defending women’s Australian Open champion Osaka was among those to touch down, but Djokovic was not on board, TA said. Players can also opt to fly commercial.
Nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic could win a record 21st Grand Slam title if he plays at Melbourne Park, but to enter Australia he and members of his entourage have to be vaccinated.
The 34-year-old has previously expressed his opposition to the vaccine and his father Srdjan said in late November that Djokovic would probably not play the Australian Open, accusing the organisers of “blackmail”.
The ATP Cup has already been hit by several players testing positive for Covid, including Russian world number five Andrey Rublev and Canada’s Wimbledon semi-finallist Denis Shapovalov.
Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal, who was due to play a warm-up event in Melbourne next week, also contracted the virus. They all played in an Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament this month.
Three female players at the same event also tested positive — Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic, US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Wimbledon quarter-finallist Ons Jabeur.
Tennis Australia has organised the charter flights to help minimise the risk of getting the virus on the trip over, with all passengers having to provide proof of a negative test in the 72 hours before flying.
Thiem to miss Australian Open 2022
Dominic Thiem said Tuesday he would miss next month’s Australian Open, delaying further his plans to rejoin after injury “to have a good return to competition”.
The 28-year-old US Open 2020 champion, who has been out for six months with a wrist injury, said he now planned to start at the Cordoba Open in Argentina, which begins on January 31.
“My team and I have assessed all matters and we have decided to make some changes to my initial tournament schedule… We believe this is the right decision in order to have a good return to competition,” said the 28-year-old in a statement.
The Austrian, ranked 15th in the world, has already pulled out of the ATP Cup, which starts next week, and an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
Despite pushing back his return further, Thiem, who reached the 2020 Australian Open final, said his wrist was now “in optimal condition” allowing him to practice “normally with a very good intensity”.
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