Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is never far from controversy.The 22-year-old yesterday confirmed he won't play again in 2017 as he bids to regain full fitness for the Australian Open in January.Kyrgios was defeated in the European Open in Belgium on Wednesday by veteran left-hander Ruben Bemelmans.“Unfortunately, due to the recurrence of my hip injury that I originally suffered at Queen’s, I am shutting down my season to make sure I can rehab and prepare as best as I can for the Australian summer,” Kyrgios told his followers in a statement on Twitter."I have played a huge amount of tennis since coming back from my hip injury in Washington and unless I want this to escalate to an injury that requires surgery, I need to listen to my body and my team."This year hasn't been as successful as I would have liked, especially at the slams although it has been positive in some other areas."It's been no secret that I have had some sad moments to deal with away from the court which have added to my disappointments throughout the year."I will do all I can to improve for 2018 and I would like to thank all of you who supported me, reached out and sent encouragement and positive energy through 2017. Thank you, and see you in 2018."The hugely talented youngster has failed to progress past the second round at each of the four grand slams.

Kyrgios Q&A takes hilarious turn

Kyrgios was taking part in a Twitter Q&A on Friday morning and was asked what the hardest part about playing Roger Federer is.

His response was absolutely brilliant.

For context, Kyrgios faced Federer in the Miami Open in April 2017.

The American crowd were hostile towards the enigmatic Australian as he delayed the match to change his racket.

Incredibly, Mirka Federer was seen joining in from the stands.

Federer eventually beat Kyrgios 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 in an epic semi-final which lasted 3h 10m.

Kyrgios later sent out another tweet, insisting that his funny "tongue in cheek" tweet was nothing more than a joke.

In their most recent meeting, Kyrgios broke down in tears on the court after losing to Federer in a dramatic Laver Cup match in September.