Nick Kyrgios injury update: Aussie edges closer to comeback, vows to enter next stage of training in coming days
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios is edging closer to a return after an injury that sidelined him from the sport for nearly 21 months. He has vowed to enter the next stage of training in the coming days.
Kyrgios has played only one match on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Tour since October 2022 with serious injuries on his knee and wrist keeping him away from tennis.
"Yes. I'm back on court. Forehand is nearing-serving introduced in a month," Kyrgios wrote on Instagram, in response to a query on whether he would play again on the tour.
The Australian, who was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022, had earlier refused a definite timeline for his return to professional tennis due to a lingering wrist injury. After teaming up with compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis to win the men's doubles title at the 2022 Australian Open, Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the tournament in 2023 to have an arthoscopic surgey on his left knee. A torn ligament in his right wrist kept him out of Wimbledon the same year.
The Australian had the best year of his career in 2022 when he made it to the finals of the Wimbledon, losing to Novak Djokovic. He also made the quarterfinals of the US Open that year. These have been the only occasions where he went beyond the fourth round in a Major since the 2015 Australian Open.
Kyrgios had earlier said that he is contemplating retiring from the sport to focus on his media career.
"The reality is there is a part of me that knows my time in the sport may be over," he had written in a column penned for The Sydney Morning Herald.
The 28-year-old was a commentator for ESPN and Eurosport at this year's Australian Open. He also also hosts the talk show 'Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios'.
Nick Kyrgios has won seven singles titles in his career
Nick Kyrgios has won a total of seven singles titles. After winning his maiden ATP tournament in 2016, he finished the year with three total titles, including the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, his first ATP-500 title where he beat David Goffin of Belgium in the finals and entered the top-15 on the ATP rankings that year.
He made his first ATP-1000 finals at the Cincinnatti Masters in 2017 where he lost to Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in straight sets. Kyrgios won the Mexican Open at Acapulco in 2019 after beating three top-10 players (Rafael Nadal, John Isner and Alexander Zverev) and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.
Kyrgios no longer has any ranking points on the ATP Tour as of October 2023. He can, however, receive a wild card at tournaments where he has reached the semifinals.