{"id":1202,"date":"2024-11-16T02:58:12","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T02:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=1202"},"modified":"2024-11-16T02:58:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T02:58:12","slug":"nick-kyrgios-confirms-comeback-event-after-djokovic-prep-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=1202","title":{"rendered":"Nick Kyrgios Confirms Comeback Event After Djokovic Prep Talk"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Nick Kyrgios will return to competitive tennis at the start of next year ahead of the Australian Open.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The former world No.13 will play at the Brisbane International in what will be his first ATP event since June 2023 following a lengthy battle with injury. Kyrgios has undergone multiple surgeries on both his knee and wrist. Since reaching the quarter-finals of the 2022 US Open, he has only been able to play three matches and is currently without a ranking due to his absence.<\/p>\n

During his hiatus from the sport, the 29-year-old contemplated retirement due to the slow speed of his recovery from surgery. He has won seven ATP titles so far in his career and reached the final at Wimbledon two years ago, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a wrist reconstruction, so there were four holes drilled in my hand, and there\u2019s a piece of string kind of holding my wrist together and my fingers looked like sausages when I got out of the surgery,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the Australian Associated Press quoted Kyrgios as saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a cast for about 12 weeks, no movement, and I basically just had to relearn how to use my right wrist again, even just carrying grocery bags, anything was super painful.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut then I started getting some real improvement at the nine-month mark \u2026 to a point where I feel like I\u2019m playing how I was in 2022.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

During his absence, Kyrgios was a commentator for multiple networks at various events. His decision to return to life as a player was influenced by comments made by 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic. Earlier this year at Wimbledon, the two had a practice session together which ended up being a key source of inspiration for Kyrgios.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was hitting with Novak and when he said to me, \u2018It doesn\u2019t look like you\u2019ve had surgery\u2019, and that was a big motivation to say like maybe I\u2019m actually making some inroads and some progress into getting back because I didn\u2019t really know,<\/em>\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a big drive for me \u2026 so, if he didn\u2019t say that, I don\u2019t know if I would have been motivated and if I would have kept pushing on the thought, but that was definitely a big part of the journey when he said that to me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Brisbane International is a combined event that will take place during the first week of January. Jordan Thompson, Alexei Popyrin and Ajla Tomljanovic have also confirmed their entry into the tournament which begins on December 29th.<\/p>\n

Kyrgios is one of only two Australian men to have won the Brisbane trophy since it became a Tour-level event in 2009. He won the tournament in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nick Kyrgios will return to competitive tennis at the start of next year ahead of the Australian Open. 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