SYDNEY, July 9: Nick Kyrgios pulled out of Australia’s tennis team for the Olympics hours after Tokyo’s governor confirmed a ban on fans in the city’s stadiums during the games which start July 23.
Kyrgios posted a statement on social media early Friday local time to announce his withdrawal, citing a need to get healthy and the ban on fans at Tokyo Olympics venues as reasons.
He also missed the 2016 Olympics and said he also “wouldn’t want to take an opportunity away from a healthy Aussie athlete ready to represent the country.”
At Wimbledon last week, Kyrgios had to retire after the second set of his third-round match because of a strained abdominal muscle.
He said it was a heart-breaking way to lose, and later foreshadowed his Olympic decision when he said if he played in Tokyo, he wanted to do it with full crowds, with his support team there and he wanted to be able to watch other athletes compete. (AP)
