Nick Kyrgios ‘may struggle to get back’ to tennis, fears Australian analyst
Nick Kyrgios will ‘struggle to get back’ to tennis after injury, claims one respected Australian tennis broadcaster.
Kyrgios missed all four Grand Slams in 2023 due to wrist and knee injuries, and that has carried over into next season with him already announcing he will not be ready to return for the Australian Open.
It’s a bitter blow for Kyrgios, who in 2022 appeared to be finally on the verge of conquering his mental demons to make good on the obvious potential he has always had.
He reached the final of Wimbledon that year and was playing some scintillating tennis, but since then his body has failed him.
And, according to Brett Phillips, who is a key part of the Channel 9 tennis coverage in Australia, says he has fears for Kyrgios’ future due to both physical factors and the quality of the emerging talent on the ATP Tour.
“The injuries have caught up with him. I actually think he’s going to struggle to get back, to be totally honest,” he said.
“There’s a plethora of stuff he can do away from tennis. He’s dabbled in commentary recently and made a good fist of that, we know he’s got a good IQ and he’s got his foundation, he’ll be in demand.
Gotta be honest… was an absolute pleasure having @NickKyrgios join us on @TennisChannel for the call of the ATP Finals today. Couldn’t have been nicer and more professional. And great tactical insights having winning records vs. both @DaniilMedwed & @AlexZverev. Looking forward… pic.twitter.com/wAsIFvlC2Y
— Brett Haber (@BrettHaber) November 15, 2023
“I mean he’s 28. Nick Kyrgios never spoke about being a tennis player who was going to play deep into his 30s and have a long career of tennis, he spoke about being possibly retired two years ago. I think these injuries, the knee, wrist, they’re two of the worst you can get in tennis.
“[Juan Martin] Del Potro couldn’t come back from a wrist injury, Roger Federer couldn’t get back from a couple of knee surgeries.
“If you look what has happened since Nick has been largely inactive, the breed of talent that’s come through, they’re at a whole other level.”
When will Nick Kyrgios be back?
Kyrgios probably will be at the Australian Open in his new-found role as a broadcaster, simply because he was too good and too big a name not to be.
However, his future in terms of getting back on court looks a lot less certain.
Typically, Kyrgios has generally shown himself to be keen to play the Grand Slams but has never really shown a lot of thirst to play a regular schedule.
There is one exception to that Slams rule, though, which is Roland Garros. Claycourt tennis tends to require patience over power, and that doesn’t really suit Kyrgios, so he has generally always skipped it.
The will be very keen to be ready for grass season, though, and that will provide challenges. Kyrgios considers himself a genuine contender to win a Wimbledon title, but the grass season is short and directly follows a much longer clay one.
That means he will have difficulty to get up to speed for Wimbledon. He may, therefore, aim for the Sunshine Double in March for his comeback if possible.
It would allow him to get some meaningful tennis in before and after clay season and give him a chance to hit some rhythm in time for Wimbledon.
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