Reason Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios snubbing Tokyo Olympics

Nick Kyrgios has officially pulled out of the Australian Olympic team for Tokyo after the latest news out of Tokyo wasn’t good.

It was a tough way to leave Wimbledon for Kyrgios.

Nick Kyrgios has confirmed he has pulled out of the Australian Olympic team heading to Tokyo after a week of speculation.

Throughout his Wimbledon campaign, rumours were swirling that he was planning on heading to a tournament in Atlanta rather than Tokyo but had remained relatively silent on the subject so far.

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Kyrgios was forced to retire hurt from his round three Wimbledon clash with Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime with an abdominal injury.

But plenty of talk came up about whether Kyrgios would take his place in Tokyo after he was named in the 11 strong team for the Games, but the Atlanta Open posted that he would compete at the tournament, which is taking place at the same time.

Earlier this week, a picture of his workout schedule also featured a note that read “next tournament - Atlanta 250”.

Kyrgios told reporters at Wimbledon that as it stands, with all the Covid-19 restrictions in place, the Olympics don’t appeal to him as much as they would if they were being held outside of a global pandemic.

“If I’m to play the Olympics I wanna do it the right way,” Kyrgios said post-match.

“I wanna do it with full crowds, with my guests there. I want to do it when I’m able to watch other athletes do their thing. That’s the Olympics for me.

“The Olympics, the way it’s going to go on, is not the Olympics.”

Chiara Passari massages Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon.

But news that Tokyo was declaring another state of emergency that would see no fans in the stands was the final straw as Kyrgios revealed on social media that it was the main reason he would skip the Games.

“Hey Guys – I just want to let you know that I’ve decided to withdraw from the Olympics. It’s a decision I didn’t make lightly. It’s been my dream to represent Australia at the Olympics and I know I may never get that opportunity again. But I also know myself. The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn’t sit right with me. It never has. I also wouldn’t want to take an opportunity away from a healthy Aussie athlete ready to represent the country. I will also take all the time I need to get my body right. Good luck to all the Aussies competing and I’ll see you back on the court real soon.”

Olympics. pic.twitter.com/ydj1V7jh2t

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) July 8, 2021

It is far from the most surprising turn of events from Kygios who sat out a majority of the 2020 season amid the Covid-19 pandemic and was a strong critic of tennis’ return to play.

He was also a strong critic of Novak Djokovic, who contracted Covid during the Adria Tour exhibition tournament he organised after he was pictured partying with fans.

Meanwhile, he helped locals, buying food for those who couldn’t afford it themselves.

Knowing he wouldn’t thrive in the bubble-life imposed on tennis players travelling around the world during a global pandemic, Kyrgios has opted to sit out for much of the past 16 months.

He didn’t play again in 2020 after the Acapulco Open in March, and his schedule has remained light this year too, but broke ranks to come to Wimbledon and subject himself to isolation requirements because the tournament is one of his favourites.