Nick Kyrgios recently admitted that he was heartbroken when he heard the news of Rafael Nadal‘s withdrawal at the 2024 Australian Open because of injury.
Nadal, 37, was forced into an early flight home from Australia for the second year in a row. Last year, he sustained a hip injury during a second-round defeat to Mackenzie McDonald at Melbourne Park. It was a crushing way to bow out on his title defense.
The Spaniard was never seen again near a match court until this January when he made his return to action at the Brisbane International. After undergoing surgery in the middle of last season, Nadal quickly warned about getting overzealous with expectations.
And how prophetic were his words? Just three matches into his comeback, Nadal suffered a fresh setback after picking up another muscle tear unrelated to his initial injury. He pulled out from the 2024 Australian Open following an MRI scan and consultation with his doctors.
Kyrgios, who has dealt with his fair share of injuries, sympathized with the legendary Spaniard. The Australian star stated that it is cruel that sports, occasionally, don’t allow the athletes to leave the stage on their “own terms” but do so because their health dictates how they will retire.
“He wants to just play grand slams. That’s always been my fear is going out of the sport not on your terms where your body starts to tell you you’re maybe past it. And Rafa is someone who is so important to the sport and it just takes time. It broke my heart seeing that.”
Nadal’s absence at Melbourne Park this year means it will be the first Australian Open since 1999 that either himself or Roger Federer will not be involved in any capacity. Federer owns the record for the most Australian Open appearances of 21 consecutively between 2000 and 2020.
Nadal will now miss his 16th Grand Slam tournament of his career and will be stuck at 22 majors at least until the French Open, and he is expected to issue a fresh update about his latest injury possibly in a few weeks.
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