Wawrinka gets Melbourne wildcard but Kyrgios to play doubles only

Former champion Stan Wawrinka was handed a wildcard on Friday for the Australian Open in his final season but home favourite Nick Kyrgios will play only doubles.

With Kyrgios saying he was not ready for singles matches after injury, the final three wildcards went to three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka and Australians Jordan Thompson and Chris O’Connell.

Switzerland’s Wawrinka, 40, is playing his last season before retiring.

He won the first of his majors at Melbourne in 2014, a season during which he peaked at world number three, and reached two other semi-finals.

“To have the chance to play the AO at the beginning of my final year on tour means the world to me,” said Wawrinka, now ranked 156.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios made his comeback after an injury-ravaged three years in Brisbane this week but lost in the opening round to American Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Despite being in the running for a wildcard at his home Grand Slam starting on January 18, the Australian showman said he was not ready.

“After some good conversations with TA (Tennis Australia) I’ve made the call to focus on doubles for this year’s Australian Open,” he said on Instagram.

“I’m fit and back on court but five-setters are a different beast and I’m not quite ready to go the distance yet.”

The defeat to Kovacevic was his first singles ATP Tour match since March last year and he conceded afterwards that he would never be the player he once was.

Kyrgios, who has tumbled to 670 in the rankings after reaching a high of 13 in 2016, said he was happy to give the opportunity to someone else.

“This tournament means everything to me but I’d rather give my spot to someone who’s ready to make their moment count,” Kyrgios said.

While giving singles a miss, Kyrgios will play doubles with fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.

He has previously committed to playing singles at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, which gets under way on Tuesday.