Nice, France, 21 May 2015 | AAP/tennis.com.au

Nick Kyrgios has played down injury concerns ahead of the French Open, beginning on Sunday at Roland Garros in Paris.

Kyrgios is racing the clock to be fully fit for the claycourt showpiece after retiring from his second-round match at the Nice Open with right elbow soreness.

Meanwhile, the news was better for James Duckworth, who saw off French lucky loser Quentin Halys 7-6(0) 7-6(5).

Duckworth, who was meant to face top seed Gilles Simon before the Frenchman withdrew from the event due to a neck injury, moves into the quarterfinals where he will face Borna Coric of Croatia.

Kyrgios, a two-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, was trailing Dominic Thiem 4-3 when he called it quits, refusing to take any risks three days out from the start of the year’s second major in Paris.

“Tough to retire today but I’ve played a lot of tennis recently and need to look after myself ahead of Roland Garros,” Kyrgios tweeted.

“It’s just a precaution, nothing major but I need to listen to my body.”

Kyrgios said he remained “Paris bound” and he may have been extra cautious after last year being forced to pull out of tournaments in Delray Beach and Acapulco because of a nerve issue with the same serving arm.

The 20-year-old will be seeded at a Slam for the first time after climbing to a career-high No.30 in the world last week following his stunning victory over Roger Federer at the Madrid Masters.

Kyrgios’s mid-match retirement comes a day after ailing Australian No.1 Bernard Tomic pulled the pin, citing a virus, after losing the first set 6-2 to world No.269 Gianni Mina in his opener in Nice.