Nadal, Federer and world number one Djokovic are tied on a men's
record 20 Grand Slam singles titles but there is a possibility
that none of them will be in action at Melbourne Park when the
first major of 2022 kicks off on Jan. 17.
Federer, 40, has already pulled out after undergoing multiple
knee surgeries while Spaniard Nadal has not confirmed his
participation as he recovers from COVID-19.
With organisers mandating all players and participants must be
vaccinated or have a medical exemption granted by an independent
panel of experts, Djokovic has kept everyone guessing by
repeatedly declining to say if he has been innoculated against
COVID-19.
The Serb has said he is "opposed to vaccination" and Australian
Kyrgios, a former world number 13, told Melbourne newspaper The
Age that while he did not know what Djokovic's situation is,
tennis needs him on the court.
"I hope he's had a good Christmas and I hope he's able to play
in the sport for as long as possible, because I've voiced before
I think Federer, Nadal and Djokovic need to be (playing),"
Kyrgios said.
"If all three aren't there, it's a disaster. It's an absolute
disaster for the fans and the people that enjoy tennis.
"Yes, it's obviously a good opportunity for some of the younger
guys to come through and make an impact but, as a whole, we do
need them to be part of the sport."
The Australian Open has been hit by a series of injury pullouts,
with major winners Serena Williams, Bianca Andreescu, Stan
Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem all missing out.
Kyrgios, a crowd favourite at Melbourbe Park, has not played
since late September due to knee problems, slipping to 93rd in
the rankings, which ruled him out of contention for the
Australian team for the season-opening ATP Cup in Sydney.
The 26-year-old will begin his 2022 season at an ATP 250 event
in Melbourne next week and was on Wednesday handed a wild card
for the Sydney Tennis Classic the following week.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|