Nick Kyrgios urged Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to play the Australian Open, declaring on Wednesday that the absence of the tennis “big three” would be a “disaster” for the tournament.
The Swiss Roger Federer has already retired due to a knee injury and Nadal’s plans are unclear after contracting covid-19.
Djokovic is on the list for the first Grand Slam of the year, which kicks off on January 17, but has refused to confirm whether he has been vaccinated, casting doubt on whether he can travel to Australia.
The “big three” have won 20 Grand Slam tournaments each, and Kyrgios said tennis needs them, starting next month in Melbourne.
“I honestly do not know what Novak’s situation is in relation to covid or what he needs to play,” Australian Kyrgios told the Melbourne Age newspaper.
“I hope he had a good Christmas and I hope he can play as long as possible, because I have said before that Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have to be” in the tournament, he added.
“If the three are not there, it is a disaster. It is an absolute disaster for the fans and the people who enjoy tennis.”
To make matters worse, Austrian Dominic Thiem, who lost the 2020 final to Djokovic, said on Tuesday that he would not go to Melbourne with a wrist injury.
Likewise, the Russian Andrey Rublev and the Canadian Denis Shapovalov are recovering from the coronavirus and their participation is in doubt.
Kyrgios, who fell to 93rd in the world rankings, has not played since the Laver Cup in September with a knee injury, and said he wants to play again in front of his country’s fans.
“My knee is something that has affected my career for a while, it is something that I had resolved last year and it feels good,” he told the newspaper.
He is scheduled to kick off his 2022 campaign at the Melbourne Summer Set starting January 4.
