A chronic left knee injury has forced Nick Kyrgios to pull the plug on his 2021 season.
Kyrgios, who fell to Stefanos Tsitsipas in his Laver Cup singles match last weekend, announced on Instagram he won't play again in 2021.
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"Hey guys, over the last couple months, I haven't been near 100% healthy," Kyrgios posted on an Instagram story. "I've been dealing with left knee patella tendinopathy, and continuing to play without fully treating it can lead to further pain and greater set backs."
The 26-year-old Kyrgios has been slowed in an injury-plagued season that has limited him to a 7-8 record. Kyrgios' loss to Tsitsipas was his fourth consecutive defeat with his last win coming over Kevin Anderson in the opening round of Atlanta.
The explosive Aussie showed some of his shot-making brilliance during Laver Cup, but ultimately could not continue playing through pain. Kyrgios said he plans to return home to Australia for rest and rehab and hopes to play the 2022 Australian Open.
"I've chosen to fly back to Australia to reassess and am planning to get PRP treatment to settle down and rehab my knee," Kyrgios said. "I'm disappointed it has kept me from playing my best tennis and hopefully with everything going smoothly I will be back to 100% by the Australian Open."
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