Kyrgios to focus on back issues ahead of Davis Cup

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  • Race against time: Nick Kyrgios.

    Nick Kyrgios has made fixing his back injury a top priority in order to be ready for Australia’s Davis Cup tie against the United States in Melbourne next weekend.

    The 20-year-old Aussie was forced to retire from his semi-final in Dubai against Stan Wawrinka Friday due to a back issue and admits he struggled throughout the week with food poisoning and a lingering hip problem.

    Kyrgios was on an eight-match winning streak having won his first career title in Marseille last Sunday before flying to Dubai and make a run to the semi-finals on his tournament debut. He now has another quick turnaround as he is scheduled to play Davis Cup in six days. Kyrgios had said earlier in the week that it was going to be a “tough ask” for himself Bernard Tomic to be fresh for Davis Cup with his team-mate still in action in Acapulco.

    “I’ve got to get my back right first,” Kyrgios said Friday. “I’m going to fly home as soon as I can.

    “It’s (back) been bothering me the last couple of days. It was bothering me yesterday when I played Tomas (Berdych), as well.

    “I had a bit of a hip injury at the start of Marseille. That was still bothering me a little bit. I was struggling with a couple of niggles.”

    Asked to assess his week as a whole in Dubai, Kyrgios had mixed feelings. “It was a bit of a struggle, to be honest. I mean, it was obviously a good result, but I have been feeling so bad every day. I’ve got some viral infection, as well. So I feel like s***,” he explained.

    Against Wawrinka Friday, Kyrgios managed to fight back from a double-break down in the opening set before getting broken again and losing it. He admits he was nowhere near his serving best.

    “I don’t really know how I broke back, to be honest. I was struggling,” said Kyrgios, who will re-enter the top-30 when the new rankings come out on Monday.  “I was never going to be able to make too much of an impact in the match with the way I was serving.”

    Still, Kyrgios has lots to be happy about having posted great results in back-to-back events. The probation period that was handed to him by the ATP for his inappropriate comments towards Wawrinka and his girlfriend back in August also came to an end last Wednesday and he no longer faces suspension.

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