Injured Nick Kyrgios out of French Open after mom held at gunpoint

Tennis

By Ethan Sears

May 18, 2023 | 12:49pm

Roland Garros will be without another star.

Nick Kyrgios is joining Rafael Nadal on the shelf for the 2023 French Open after sustaining a foot injury due to the theft of his car, the athlete’s agent, Daniel Horsfall, told multiple outlets on Thursday.

Kyrgios’ mother, Norlaila, was held at gunpoint in Canberra, Australia, on May 1, with the tennis player’s Tesla getting stolen.

“With all the stuff that was going on, Nick lacerated the side of his left foot,” Horsfall told Reuters. “We don’t know how. Basically, it’s just set him back about two-and-a-half weeks in terms of his loading schedule to get back on court for what we thought was going to be the Grand Slam.”

According to Horsfall, Kyrgios couldn’t slide or get on the court for training without reopening the wound, which was under the left side of his foot near his pinkie toe.

The 28-year-old Kyrgios has also dealt with knee issues, withdrawing from the Australian Open in January after undergoing surgery when scans showed a cyst growing on his meniscus. 

He last played a tournament in October but is expected to be back for grass court season, including a mid-June tournament in Stuttgart, Germany.

The laceration has reportedly almost healed, though not in time for Roland Garros.

“His knee, as far as we’re concerned, is actually in fantastic shape, the surgery went well,” Horsfall told CNN. “His fitness is at a fantastic level, it was just when we got to the last point of that rehab, the on-court loading, this freak accident happened.”

Kyrgios has gotten as far as the third round of the French Open, historically his worst major championship.

He reached his first major final at Wimbledon last year, losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets.

The first round of the French Open begins on May 28.