Nick Kyrgios has announced his tennis season is officially over, returning home to Australia to deal with a debilitating knee injury and see his sick mother.
Kyrgios played in Team World’s brutal loss to Team Europe at the Laver Cup in Boston last weekend, but that will be his final match in 2021.
The Australian star confirmed on Tuesday that he is returning to Australia to deal with patella tendinopathy and is hopeful that a blood platelet injection can get him back to his best in time for the Australian Open.
Commonly known as “jumper’s knee”, the painful condition affects the patella tendon which attaches the kneecap to the shinbone.
Currently ranked World No.96, Kyrgios said his knee would continue to worsen without treatment.
“Hey guys, over the last couple months, I haven’t been near 100% healthy,” Kyrgios wrote on his Instagram story on Tuesday.
“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 one-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist will undergo platelet-rich plasma therapy or PRP, which involves the knee being injected with concentrated platelets from the patient’s own blood.
There’s usually a six-week return to full activity, with American golf star Brooks Koepka and Canberra Raiders captain Jarrod Croker undergoing the treatment this year.
“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 as it has kept me from playing my best tennis and hopefully with everything going smoothly I will be back to 100 per cent by the Australian Open.”
Nick Kyrgios reveals family heartache
Speaking at the Laver Cup on Saturday, Kyrgios said he doesn’t know how much longer he’ll be playing professional tennis.
The Australian spoke to reporters after failing to inspire Team World with a straight sets defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas in singles, part of a sweep of Saturday’s matches for Team Europe as they went on to win 14-1 for their fourth-consecutive triumph at the Laver Cup.
“As long as I’m on the court, I will try and give my best, but I’m not going to lie and say that I’m going to plan to play four or five more years on tour,” he said.
