Nick Kyrgios has revealed he decided to skip the inaugural United Cup as he wants to give himself the best chance of recovering from an injury ahead of the Australian Open.
The 27-year-old sparked controversy on Wednesday, when he pulled out of Australia’s first match of the tournament after struggling to recover from an ankle injury he suffered in Dubai last week.
Kyrgios was scheduled to spearhead the Australian team, starting against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in Sydney on Thursday night, but withdrew from the mixed-gender tournament ahead of Wednesday’s team press conference.
The world No22 was also due to play Rafael Nadal in the most eagerly-anticipated match-up of the event when Australia meets Spain next week.
His late withdrawal has left Australia in the lurch, and his teammates only learned 10 minutes before their press conference that he would no longer be joining them.
But Kyrgios has since looked to set the record straight, explaining his withdrawal was motivated by his desire to give himself the best possible chance to win the Australian Open next month.
‘Winning a match at a grand slam level is not an easy task,’ he told The Age on Thursday.
