Kyrgios to miss French Open

Nick Kyrgios, who was defaulted at the Italian Open last week after a temper tantrum, withdrew from the French Open, which starts Sunday.

The ATP said the Australian player cited illness as the reason.

Trailing against Norwegian qualifier Casper Ruud in the second round of the Italian Open at Rome, Kyrgios slammed his racket into the clay and kicked a water bottle. Then he picked up a chair and flung it onto the court.

He was fined and lost ATP points but escaped a suspension.

The controversial Kyrgios’ withdrawal came only days after he posted a video online in which he said the French Open “sucks” when compared to Wimbledon, where he trained recently.