"The way I was treated will never be forgotten" - Nick Kyrgios refuses to represent Australia in 2024 Paris Olympics

Nick Kyrgios has stated that he has no plans to represent Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Injuries have seen Kyrgios remain on the sidelines for more than a year. At the start of last season, he pulled out of the Australian Open due to a knee injury. He later underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Kyrgios made his comeback in Stuttgart in June, where he lost to 7-5, 6-3 Yibing Wu. After that, he tore a ligament in his right wrist, which led to his withdrawal from the Wimbledon Championships. He has not played since and has even pulled out of the ongoing Melbourne Major.

In a column for the Sydney Morning Herald, Kyrgios said that he has been contemplating retirement. He also said that even if he fully recovers and makes his comeback to the ATP tour this season, he has no plans to represent Australia at the Olympic Games in Paris.

"One thing I will guarantee, though, is that if I am fit and ready to play, I won’t be making myself available for the Olympics," he said.

The former World No. 13 said that this was due to his exclusion from the 2016 Rio Olympics and the way he was treated by the Australian Olympic Committee and its former chef de mission Kitty Chiller.

"The way I was treated by the Australian Olympic Committee and former chef de mission Kitty Chiller will never be forgotten," he opined.

"To ban me from playing at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games was a disgrace. I was No.13 at the time and had a genuine chance at winning a medal. For them to forbid me from representing my country for behavioral reasons is something that I just can’t forget," he added.

Kyrgios said that while he was desperate to represent his court on the global stage previously, he doesn't feel the same anymore.

"I won’t be putting my hand up to play in Paris this year. Eight years ago, I was desperate to represent Australia at an Olympic Games, but my mentality has changed. I wanted to play for my country, I can’t say that I still have that desire. And let’s be honest, I haven’t exactly felt like Australia has wanted me to represent it either. I’ve said before, I often feel more at home away from home," he expressed.

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Nick Kyrgios on his detractors: "It’s as if they think I make excuses with my injuries"

Nick Kyrgios has been struggling with injuries for more than a year.

Nick Kyrgios' decision to announce his withdrawal from the United Cup last year, on the eve of the opening match, caused a public outcry. Many suggested that he was not serious about representing Australia and that he was using injuries as an excuse.

This saw Australia’s United Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt criticize Kyrgios for a lack of communication with the team.

"I was in the same boat as all the other players yesterday. I didn’t know any more (than others). It was pretty tough for everyone. It was more probably the lack of communication and these guys not knowing," he said in December 2022, via Fox Sports.

Team co-captain Samantha Stosur said that she found out about Kyrgios' withdrawal only 10 minutes before speaking to the media at a press conference. Alex De Minaur, who replaced Kyrgios in the team, expressed frustration about the constant questions regarding the 28-year-old and his absence.

In his aforementioned column, Kyrgios hit back at Hewitt and De Minaur, stating that if the injuries were just excuses for him, he wouldn't have stayed on the sidelines for more than a year.

"It annoys me that there are people out there who think that I don’t want to be out there. It’s as if they think I don’t want to play and make excuses with my injuries," he said.

"It happened last year when I pulled out of the United Cup. I know that guys like Lleyton Hewitt and Alex de Minaur were disappointed in me for pulling out of the tournament two days before the event, but we’re 12 months on, and I still haven’t played," he added.