Kyrgios Says He Won’t Play Singles at Australian Open, Wawrinka Gets Wildcard

Tennis - Brisbane International Tennis Tournament - Queensland Tennis Center, Brisbane, Australia - January 6, 2026 Australia's Nick Kyrgios reacts during his round of 32 match against Aleksandar Kovacevic of the US. (Darren England/AAP Image via Reuters)

08:46-9 January 2026 AD ـ 20 Rajab 1447 AH

Kyrgios Says He Won’t Play Singles at Australian Open, Wawrinka Gets Wildcard

Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios said on Friday he will not play in the singles competition at this month's Australian Open as he is not ready to play five-set matches.

The 30-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals of his home Grand Slam in 2015 but has struggled with a series of injuries in recent seasons, will only feature in the doubles at the event, which begins at Melbourne Park on January 18.

Kyrgios has fallen to number 670 in the world and would have needed a wildcard to play in the singles.

Tennis Australia (TA) ‌said on Friday ‌Stan Wawrinka had been given a ‌wildcard ⁠in what will ‌be the three-times Grand Slam champion's last appearance at the tournament before he retires at the end of the season.

"After some good conversations with TA I've made the call to focus on doubles for this year's AO," Australian Kyrgios wrote on social media.

"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.

"This tournament means everything to me, ‌but I'd rather give my spot to ‍someone who's ready to make ‍their moment count.

"It's all building blocks and I'll be back ‍next year and pumped to compete. See you out there."

Kyrgios has undergone wrist reconstruction and had two knee surgeries since losing in the 2022 Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic.

He lost in straight sets in the opening round of the Brisbane Open by Aleksander Kovacevic on Tuesday. Kyrgios won the men's doubles at the ⁠Australian Open in 2022 when he partnered compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis to victory.

Wawrinka, who announced last month he would hang up his racket at the end of 2026, won the first of his three major titles at Melbourne Park and the 40-year-old was delighted to receive the wildcard.

"Winning the Australian Open in 2014, my first Grand Slam title, is an absolute career highlight for me, so I'm incredibly grateful to receive this wildcard," he added.

"To have the chance to play the Australian Open at the beginning of my final year on ‌tour means the world to me."

Australians Jordan Thompson and Chris O'Connell also received wildcards.

Bayern Still without Musiala and Kimmich but Neuer Back for Bundesliga Restart

Football - DFB Cup - Round of 16 - Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - December 3, 2024 Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer walks off the pitch after receiving a red card by referee Harm Osmers. (Reuters)

09:58-10 January 2026 AD ـ 21 Rajab 1447 AH

Bayern Still without Musiala and Kimmich but Neuer Back for Bundesliga Restart

Bayern Munich will be missing several players including Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala but will have keeper Manuel Neuer back for their Bundesliga restart against visitors VfL Wolfsburg following the winter break, coach Vincent Kompany said on Saturday.

The Bavarians, undefeated this season in the league, will also be without Sacha Boey and Alphonso Davies on Sunday as they ‌look to ‌extend their eight-point lead ‌at ⁠the top ‌of the table.

Kompany said Germany international Musiala, who sustained a fibula fracture and a broken ankle in the Club World Cup in July last year, was on the verge of a comeback but Sunday's match was ⁠still too soon.

"He will not be available yet for ‌this game," Kompany told a ‍press conference on ‍Saturday. "We are close but we don't want ‍to take the last step too quickly. This week was good for him. He did the full training sessions."

Bayern are in top spot on 41 points, eight ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who needed a ⁠stoppage-time goal to rescue a 3-3 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday. They will increase their lead with a win.

"I want to see our strengths, no matter the opponent," Kompany said. "I want to see us at home being Bayern Munich and even against tough opponents play our game."

Bayern have never lost in Munich against Wolfsburg in 28 ‌league matches, having won 26 of them and drawn two.

Sports

Alcaraz Beats Sinner in Sold-Out South Korea Exhibition Match

Tennis - Hyundai Card Super Match - Carlos Alcaraz v Jannik Sinner - Inspire Arena, Incheon, South Korea - January 10, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning his Hyundai Card Super Match against Italy's Jannik Sinner. (Reuters)

09:40-10 January 2026 AD ـ 21 Rajab 1447 AH

Alcaraz Beats Sinner in Sold-Out South Korea Exhibition Match

Carlos Alcaraz beat great rival Jannik Sinner in a light-hearted sell-out exhibition match in South Korea on Saturday ahead of the Australian Open.

Taking place eight days before the Melbourne Grand Slam and in their first appearances this year, the Spanish world number one won 7-5, 7-6 (8/6) in front of an enthusiastic 12,000 crowd in Incheon.

Neither will play competitively until the Australian Open, where Italy's world number two Sinner is the defending two-time champion.

South Korean organizers have not said how much the two players earned from the match, but reports in Italy suggest each could pocket more than $2 million for the match that lasted one hour and 47 minutes.

It was not always entirely serious, the smiling duo treating a packed house to some trick shots between their legs, drawing cheers, and reacting to calls from the crowd by making heart gestures.

Alcaraz and Sinner have taken a stranglehold on men's tennis over the past two years, splitting all four Grand Slam titles between them in 2024 and 2025.

Arch competitors on the court but good friends off it, Alcaraz has the upper hand in their rivalry and came into the exhibition boasting a 10-6 head-to-head record.

They will be the favorites when the Australian Open starts in Melbourne on January 18, when the serious work begins.

Alcaraz, who at 22 is two years younger than Sinner, has never gone beyond the quarter-finals at the first Grand Slam of the year and it is the only major he has failed to win.

Sports

Morocco Show Their Credentials in Impressive Quarter-Final Performance

Morocco have invested heavily in ensuring a showpiece tournament, putting their best foot forward ahead of their co-hosting ⁠of the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain. (Reuters)

09:34-10 January 2026 AD ـ 21 Rajab 1447 AH

Morocco Show Their Credentials in Impressive Quarter-Final Performance

Morocco have invested heavily in ensuring a showpiece tournament, putting their best foot forward ahead of their co-hosting ⁠of the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain. (Reuters)

Morocco might finally have found their straps at the Africa Cup of Nations, advancing to the semi-finals for the first time in 22 years after a 2-0 win over Cameroon on Friday and beginning to look like real prospects for a first title in 50 years.

Coach Walid Regragui labelled it one of their best performances since the last World Cup in Qatar where they became the first African country to reach the last four.

Morocco were the hot favorites going into the Cup of Nations but did not impress in their opening matches at the tournament, looking nervy and under ‌the weight ‌of expectation on them as the host country.

But ‌in ⁠Friday’s quarter-final ‌in Rabat they were bustling with intensity, aggressively pressing their opponent and continually winning possession and spending most of the match on the front foot, restricting Cameroon to only a handful of half chances.

“The first half was probably the best we’ve played since the World Cup,” the coach said.

“We quickly created opportunities; a lot of corners and our opening goal came ⁠from a set piece. Our win was deserved even though things evened out a bit in ‌the second half."

Morocco were ahead as Ayoub ‍El Kaabi’s header was brushed ‍into the net off Brahim Diaz and they got a second ‍goal in the 74th minute from Ismael Saibari.

It was a win furiously celebrated at the final whistle by the Morocco squad, showing their relief as they have felt a heavy burden of pressure since the tournament kicked off some three weeks ago.

Morocco have invested heavily in ensuring a showpiece tournament, putting their best foot forward ahead of their co-hosting ⁠of the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain.

It is supposed to go hand in hand with success for their team, who have been top ranked in Africa for some four years but have a long history of failure at the Cup of Nations.

They have won the tournament only once previously, in 1976.

Regragui has consistently referred to Morocco’s poor Cup of Nations record and warned both his players and the home support to temper expectation and show “humility”.

"We need to just keep going one game at a time. We have not done anything yet," he said after Friday’s ‌win.

Morocco will find out the identity of their semi-final opponent on Saturday after Algeria and Nigeria’s meeting in Marrakesh.

Kyrgios Says He Won’t Play Singles at Australian Open, Wawrinka Gets Wildcard

Kyrgios Says He Won’t Play Singles at Australian Open, Wawrinka Gets Wildcard

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Bayern Still without Musiala and Kimmich but Neuer Back for Bundesliga Restart

Bayern Still without Musiala and Kimmich but Neuer Back for Bundesliga Restart

Alcaraz Beats Sinner in Sold-Out South Korea Exhibition Match

Alcaraz Beats Sinner in Sold-Out South Korea Exhibition Match

Morocco Show Their Credentials in Impressive Quarter-Final Performance

Morocco Show Their Credentials in Impressive Quarter-Final Performance

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