Nick Kyrgios looks extremely unlikely to play at Melbourne Park

The start of the Australian Open is five weeks away and it’s looking extremely unlikely Nick Kyrgios will be appearing in his usual role.

Hope is thinning that Nick Kyrgios will get on court at the Australian Open in January with his name still missing from the tournament’s entry list after seven more male players entered the tournament using protected rankings on Wednesday night.

Rafael Nadal, Marin Cilic, Denis Shapovalov, Soonwoo Koon, Jiri Vesely, Milos Raonic and Reilly Opelka all locked themselves into the tournament using protected rankings this week, but Kyrgios was still nowhere to be seen on the entry list.

It means his only chance of entering the tournament now is via a wildcard.

Nick Kyrgios has his wrist strapped during Wimbledon’s 2023 tournament. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Australian Open boss Craig Tiley was adamant showstopper Kyrgios would be at the event in “some form” when asked about his availability earlier this week, with his comeback from injury yet to include a return to the court just over a month out from the first grand slam of the season.

“The update is day-by-day with him,” Tiley said about Kyrgios.

“He’ll be best to assess that ... we’re going to have Nick here in some form or another in January.

“Hopefully it is to play because he’s a crowd-pleaser. We love watching Nick and love having him around.”

Nick Kyrgios is not on the entry list for the 2024 #AusOpen, but it's theoretically possible he could get a wild card later.

But if he had any plans of playing, he almost certainly would have entered.https://t.co/MJ8E93rV55

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) December 6, 2023

Kyrgios was a commentator at November’s ATP Finals in Italy, where he said “the stars would need to align” for him to play at the Open, and in an interview with English broadcaster Piers Morgan last week, the 28-year-old gave no indication he would be ready to return to the court anytime soon as he continues to battle knee and wrist issues.

It means Kyrgios is more likely to show up in the broadcast booth at Melbourne Park than on the court.

Nick Kyrgios is miminal chance of playing at the Australian Open. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Brisbane International officials have meanwhile also left the door open for Kyrgios to get a wildcard in their event, which begins in December 29, but that looks extremely unlikely.

In the women’s side of the draw, former Open champion Caroline Wozniacki was among those given a wildcard for Melbourne Park as she makes a return following a three-and-a-half-year hiatus in which she had two children, but Emma Raducanu has missed out on the initial batch.

Raducanu, who shocked the world with her 2021 US Open triumph that elevated her to superstar status, has a protected ranking of 103 due to her lengthy absence from the tour following operations on both wrists and one ankle.

Emma Raducanu is not yet in the Australian Open field. Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

It’s not high enough to secure entry to the first grand slam of 2024, with hopes her high-profile could count in her favour.

But wildcards usually go to home players and the now 21-year-old could have to go through qualifying to earn a start, the same way she got in to the US Open before going on to her famous triumph.

Raducanu has stepped up training in recent weeks and appears on track to return at the start of the year having not played a tournament since the WTA event in Stuttgart in April.

Meanwhile, Australian Open officials received a huge boost on Saturday as Spanish champion Rafa Nadal announced he’d be returning from injury to play tennis in Australia’s summer.

- with news.com.au

Originally published as Nick Kyrgios looks extremely unlikely to play at Melbourne Park