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Nick Kyrgios has claimed that the knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the Japan Open likely came about because he was “too excited” to be playing tennis. The fifth seed took to the court minutes before he was set to play Taylor Fritz in the quarter-final and announced he was pulling out through injury, also withdrawing from the doubles where he and Thanasi Kokkinakis were through to the semi-finals. He has now explained that the issue is a recurring knee injury.
Kyrgios was set to face Fritz in a blockbuster quarter-final at the Japan Open on Friday but surprised the crowd when he arrived on court to tell them he was pulling out injured. The world No 20 has now elaborated on the injury that forced him out of what he called one of his “favourite” tournaments, admitting he believed it came from overplaying.
“I’ve just been playing amazing tennis all year and actually was dealing with a bit of a knee issue around US Open time, got back home, probably didn’t take enough time off to be honest, went straight back into training,” he said in a press conference after announcing his withdrawal. The 27-year-old speculated why it could have struck him in Tokyo but was doubtful that anything this week had caused the injury to flare up.
He added: “You know, been playing well this week. It could have something to do with the change in surface but I highly doubt it, my knee has been something that I’ve dealt with my whole career and sometimes it wakes up pretty average.”
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As well as making his ninth quarter-final of the season in singles, Kyrgios was also the top seed in the doubles draw alongside long-time friend Kokkinakis and the pair were set to play their semi-final tomorrow. But after a practice session together on Friday morning, the 27-year-old felt something and decided to pull out to protect his body ahead of his last two tournaments.
He explained: “It’s the better option for my body. I have to be smart and after hitting with Thanasi today I feel that this is the best thing to do. I have a couple of tournaments at the end of the year and want to do well there.”
But the 2016 champion in Tokyo admitted he was still “heartbroken” to end his week this say, adding: “Obviously very disappointed, it’s one of my favourite tournaments, had great memories here. It’s heartbreaking when the body lets you down.”
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