NEW YORK: Fiery Australian Nick Kyrgios’s US Open campaign ended in pain and tears when he retired from his third round match against Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko with a hip injury on Saturday.
The 14th seed needed a medical timeout after dropping the second set and despite a series of further checks with the trainer, he quit after the third set feeling unable to move effectively enough around the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
“It’s tough. I don’t like to retire. It’s probably like the second or third time I’ve done it,” said the 21-year-old who was bidding to make the last 16 at Flushing Meadows for the first time. “It’s never easy, of course. I’ve got a lot of belief in my game to still win matches when I’m not feeling great.”
Former world No 1 and commentator John McEnroe challenged Kyrgios to quit professional tennis if his heart isn’t in it. McEnroe, who has been critical and complimentary of Kyrgios in equal measure, said, “Nick Kyrgios, if you don’t want to be a professional tennis player, do something else. He’s hurt because he’s not training enough.”