Nick Kyrgios to play no warm-up events before Australian Open after withdrawing from Adelaide International 2

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the upcoming Adelaide International 2 event, meaning he will play no warm-up matches this season ahead of the Australian Open.

Kyrgios pulled out of the ongoing United Cup at the last minute and a suspected ankle injury has forced him to miss next week’s ATP 250 event in Adelaide, which takes place from January 9-14.

There are big expectations on the 27-year-old after the best season in his tennis career last year, as he won the Australian Open doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis, reached the Wimbledon final and was a US Open quarter-finalist.

“We wish him well with his preparation for the Australian Open and I hope he recovers in time.”

Kyrgios has admitted he feels pressure the pressure of expectation on his shoulders going into the Australian Open.

He told Eurosport: “I always believe that pressure is a privilege.

“In real life, there’s not much pressure to being a professional tennis player. We earn great money, we travel around the world with our favourite people.

“We get to see different people, different cultures.

“In the scheme of things, that’s not pressure but I completely understand going on the match court with all this expectation that ‘Nick Kyrgios is legitimate chance to win a Grand Slam now’, there’s a lot of pressure there especially having the Australian Open and everyone in Australia expecting big things from me.

“It’s a lot to handle sometimes. Being in the spotlight is not easy.”

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