Nick Kyrgios: ‘I’m doing everything I can to be fit for Australian Open’
Nick Kyrgios says he is doing āeverything he canā to be able to play the Australian Open, but he is still unsure if he will make it.
Kyrgios has played just one match all year ā a 7-5, 6-3 defeat to Yibang Wu in Stuttgart in June ā due to knee and wrist injuries.
That is a far cry from 2022, when he thrilled at the Australian Open before winning the doubles title, reaching the Wimbledon final and generally looking like he was finally ready to vanquish the demons that have plagued him his whole career.
He plans to return to tennis, and will know more about the timescale when he has a splint removed from his wrist in two weeks. However, whether his home Slam comes too early for him remains to be seen.
āAfter last year, I had such a great year, and Iām so hungry to get back out there,ā Kyrgios told the Tennis Channel, for whom he is working as an analyst during the ATP Finals.
āSo Iām doing everything I can to get back out there. Obviously, you know how injuries are every day, just doing the rehab, doing the gym work.
āBut to be here and being able to watch [the matches] makes me more hungry to get out there,” Kyrgios said on Tennis Channel.ā
One of the players Kyrgios is watching is Alexander Zverev, who is looking in superb condition and form after working his way back from a lengthy injury.
The German is, therefore, an example that Kyrgios is trying to following in his own recovery. He admits that it is a tough act for him to follow, though.
āThe stars have to align a little bit,ā he explained. āAnd with Zverev, heās an incredibly hard worker. Thatās his reputation.
āHe ticks all the boxes and, if someone like that can come back from an injury like that, I think thatās what I have to draw inspiration from for sure.ā
Nick Kyrgios āa student of the gameā
Itās fair to say that some eyebrows were raised when the Tennis Channel announced Nick Kyrgios would be joining their team of experts for the ATP Finals.
He has much more of a reputation as a hothead than that of a clinical analyst, but he has definitely changed perceptions of him so far.
Kyrgios is also uniquely positioned to comment on the players featuring in the event due to playing seven of the nine players himself. Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune are the exceptions to that.
It is often forgotten that he has played the tournament himself too, with him and Thanasi Kokkinakis competing in the doubles event in Turin last year.
Even @NickKyrgios believes Rublev went overboard when he smashed his knee with his racquet ?#TCLive pic.twitter.com/av43izjEFI
ā Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) November 15, 2023
āI love watching tennis,ā he said during the coverage. āI feel like I’m a bit of a student of a game.
“I watch my own film, I have my own tactics. Ā I’ve played these guys a lot, and I know what they’re going to be doing under pressure. I know how to have success [against them], and equally, what their strengths are.
“Your whole year is work going into it, so I think there’s added pressure, and you want to finish off the year in good style.
āAll these guys have had probably the best seasons in the world, and they want to go out with a bang.”
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