Tennis fans have voiced their regret and disappointment following Nick Kyrgios’ announcement that he will not compete in the Laver Cup next month.
Kyrgios said on Tuesday night that he will skip the popular team tournament in September to spend more time with his family.
No Laver Cup for me this year,” the Aussie wrote on Instagram.
“Gotta have that home time with my family and (my) beautiful girlfriend.”
The 27-year-old, who finished second to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final last month, had represented Team World in all four previous Laver Cups.
Team Europe has defeated Kyrgios and Team World on all four occasions.
Kyrgios stated last year at the Laver Cup that he didn’t expect to be back in 2022.
“This is my probably my last Laver Cup,” he said at the time.
“I don’t know how much longer I will be in tennis.
“My mum is not doing too well with her health. I’d like to go back and see her.”
The 2022 edition of the Laver Cup will be held in London from September 23-25.
Team world captain John McEnroe has nominated three players to his team: Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, and Diego Schwartzman, with two more positions to fill.
For the first time, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray will compete in the same side, Team Europe, led by Bjorn Borg.
Kyrgios is in the United States right now, practising for the US Open later this month.
He and Thanasi Kokkinakis won the Atlanta Open doubles title on Sunday, following up their amazing grand slam victory at the Australian Open in January.
Fans rushed to social media to voice their displeasure that Kyrgios will not be competing in this year’s Laver Cup.
The Kyrgios news is especially upsetting given who Team Europe will have at their disposal.
Last month, Djokovic declared his participation in the Laver Cup, completing Europe’s ideal lineup featuring Federer, Nadal, and Murray.
It will be Djokovic’s first appearance at the event since it was held in Chicago in 2018, and it will be the first time that all four members of the ‘Big 4’ will play together.
When Djokovic last played in 2018, the only other member of the ‘Big Four’ to compete was Federer, but Team Europe will have all four at their disposal in 2022.
