Nick Kyrgios faces another injury setback in his planned return to Grand Slam tennis at the Australian Open after an abdominal strain forced him to withdraw from an exhibition with Novak Djokovic this week.

Britain’s Jacob Fearnley was handed a blockbuster Australian Open debut against Nick Kyrgios. Scot Fearnley was still at college in the United States during last year’s tournament but has rocketed up to 86 in the world after a stunning start to his professional tennis career, which included taking a set off Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

Nick Kyrgios ’s return to the Australian Open has been thrown into doubt amid a fresh injury scare. The Australian, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2022, returned to action in Brisbane last week after playing only one singles match since October 2022 following knee and wrist surgeries.