US Open: Alexander Zverev to miss tournament, Nick Kyrgios assault case adjourned
- 2020 US Open runner-up Zverev, who was set to be seeded No 2 this year, is recovering from ankle surgery
- Kyrgios, who is in the US preparing for the tournament, was not required to attend court and is represented by his lawyer
Alexander Zverev, the 2020 US Open runner-up, will miss the tournament this year while recovering from surgery on his right ankle.
Zverev tore ligaments in the ankle during his semi-final match against Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June, and the No 2-ranked player withdrew from the US Open on Monday.
The 25-year-old German was on the verge of his first Grand Slam title two years ago in Flushing Meadows before Dominic Thiem rallied to beat him in a fifth-set tiebreaker. It was the first time a man overcame a 2-0 deficit in the final of the event since Pancho Gonzalez did it against Ted Schroeder in 1949.
Zverev won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last year and then returned to the US Open semi-finals, losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets.
American Stefan Kozlov moved into the main draw for the tournament. Main draw play begins next Monday.
Reilly Opelka, who won two titles earlier this year, also withdrew on Monday because of injury. He reached the fourth round of the US Open last year. Fellow American Jack Sock took his place in the main draw.
In Australia, Nick Kyrgios did not appear in court on Tuesday when a charge of common assault was listed for the first time.
The 27-year-old Kyrgios, who was not required to attend the Australian Capital Territory Magistrates Court, was represented by his lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith. He was not required to enter a plea or apply for bail. Magistrate Louise Taylor adjourned the case to October 4.
Kyrgios remains in the United States preparing for the US Open, which starts next week.
The charge relates to an alleged incident in January last year in Canberra that was reported to Australian Capital Territory Police in December.
Kukulies-Smith told the court Kyrgios “spends very little time” in Canberra, where he grew up. He foreshadowed making an application at a future court date “capable of finalising the matter”, but did not provide details.
Police charged Kyrgios by summons in July, when he made a career-best run at Wimbledon. The charge carries a potential maximum of two years in prison.
Kyrgios reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon before losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic. He said at the time that he had been advised by his lawyers not to make any comment on the legal case.
