Fragile Kyrgios sounds AO injury warning

Nick Kyrgios has Australian Open organisers on red alert after he complained of “Throbbing” wrist pain following Tuesday’s Brisbane Open first-round loss.

The former Wimbledon finalist who had not played a match for 18 months due to wrist and arm injuries over the past two seasons, went down against 36 aces dispensed by Frenchman Giovanni Mpetski Perricard.

Kyrgios, who pulled out of the Australian Open shortly before his opening match in 2023, could be tempting a similar fate with his comments after taking the ATP loss.

Kyrgios is paired with Novak Djokovic in doubles at the Queensland event, with the high-profile team winning a match on  Monday.

But even that lesser exertion has put the 29-year-old on edge.

“After today I’m super excited for the Australian Open,” he said.

“If I’m able to play, I’m able to play. But the reality kind of set in for me. That’s a best-of-three match with my wrist.”

But he further warned: “Not only is a Grand Slam mentally really draining, it’s physically a grind.

“I think I almost need a miracle, and I need, like, the stars to align for my wrist to hold up in a Grand Slam for sure.”

With a ranking outside the top 1000, Kyrgios will compete in Melbourne at the major on a wild card entry.

He admitted he’s been taken aback by the physicality needed in modern tennis after being away for nealry two years.

“I felt I’d been hit by a bus after the doubles,” Kyrgios said.

“For my wrist it’s all new ground … I went from practising with people unranked to facing the biggest server … on the planet and, ‘let’s see how you go’.

“We were not expecting to be playing here at such a high level.”