Novak Djokovic withdrew from his clash with Nick Kyrgios in the World Tennis League in Dubai.
Tennis fans have expressed their disappointment after Novak Djokovic withdrew from a highly-anticipated showdown with Nick Kyrgios at the World Tennis League in Dubai on Thursday. In what was supposed to be a rematch of the Wimbledon final from July, Kyrgios was scheduled to take on Djokovic in the exhibition team event.
However, Djokovic withdrew from the match at the last minute, with Grigor Dimitrov taking his place for Team Falcons against Kyrgios’ Team Eagles.
A statement from the World Tennis League said: “Djokovic announced he wouldn’t be partaking in the WTL tonight due to not feeling 100% well enough to play. Team Falcons will continue to play v Team Eagles, and we look forward to Novak’s return to centre court.”
Dimitrov beat Kyrgios 7-6 (5) 6-3 in a significant upset, filling in for Djokovic and not missing a beat.
Nick Kyrgios: Hopefully, I can win a Grand Slam and just retire
Nick Kyrgios admits winning a Grand Slam is one of his top goals for the 2023 season but also indicated he might retire if that happens. Kyrgios, 27, made his first Grand Slam singles final at this year's Wimbledon. In the Wimbledon final, Kyrgios competed exceptionally well against Novak Djokovic but, in the end, fell short to the Serb in four sets.
Two months later, Kyrgios went to the US Open, determined to lift his first Grand Slam title. Kyrgios had a promising run at the US Open, which ended with a surprise quarterfinal defeat to Karen Khachanov. "Hopefully, I can just win a Slam and retire," Kyrgios told tennis commentator Rob Koenig, as revealed by Randy Walker.
