Nick Kyrgios is set to return to practice next week after an injury-plagued 18 months that saw him undergo surgeries on his knee and wrist. The former world No.13, who has played just one singles match since October 2022, admitted he has had 'hard conversations' with himself about his future.
Speaking on The AO Show podcast, Kyrgios described the period as 'arguably been one of the hardest years of my life tennis-wise'. He added: 'I know there’s still fire in the belly, which is good.' The 28-year-old, now unranked, has been commentating for Eurosport and launching a podcast during his layoff.
Kyrgios confirmed his comeback plans: 'I’m hitting for the first time next week... I definitely will be coming back. It’s just hard to put an exact date on it because the injury was quite severe.' He has already signed up for the Ultimate Tennis Showdown exhibition in New York in August, but his preferred surface is grass, where he reached the Wimbledon final in 2022.
Reflecting on his career, the seven-time title winner said: 'It’s selfish for me to come back and demand to be making Wimbledon finals again. I’m going to take my time, come back and just enjoy being back out there.' His last competitive match was in Stuttgart last June, where he sustained a wrist injury requiring surgery.
