Kyrgios won't play singles at the Australian Open, saying his body is not ready for 5-set tennis

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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Nick Kyrgios says he's not fit enough to play singles at the Australian Open but will compete in doubles with his Australian mate Thanasi Kokkinakis at Melbourne Park.

Kyrgios, who played in the so-called “ Battle of the Sexes ” exhibition against Aryna Sabalenka last month, had been tipped by local media to receive one of the three remaining wild-card entries from Tennis Australia.

TA announced later on Friday that 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka and Australian players Jordan Thompson and Chris O’Connell had received them. The 40-year-old Wawrinka has already announced this year will be his final season on tour.

Kyrgios said Friday on social media he would only play doubles in the tournament, which starts Jan. 18. Multiple wrist and knee surgeries have limited Kyrgios to just seven singles tour matches over the past three years, with his ranking sinking to 670.

The 30-year-old veteran’s most recent singles match lasted just 66 minutes — a 6-3, 6-4 loss to American Aleksandar Kovacevic at the Brisbane International this week.

Kyrgios, who reached the 2022 Wimbledon final, said his body wasn’t yet ready for five-set tennis and he wanted the wild card to go to someone who could “make their moment count."

"After some good conversations with TA I’ve made the call to focus on doubles for this year’s AO,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m fit and back on court, but five setters are a different beast, and I’m not quite ready to go the distance yet.

“This tournament means everything to me, but I’d rather give my spot to someone who’s ready to make their moment count. It’s all building blocks, and I’ll be back next year and pumped to compete.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis