Nick Kyrgios drops major career announcement

Nick Kyrgios is closing in on a return to tennis.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has played just one competitive match since October 2022 following knee and wrist injuries.

The Australian had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on the eve of last year’s Australian Open, but had looked set to make his return at the French Open later that year until hurting his foot during an armed robbery in his own home.

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Having recovered from that, he then tore a ligament in his wrist while he was practising for Wimbledon.

It’s with that injury that he has been sidelined ever since — but a return is drawing closer.

Kyrgios has long mooted a potential return in the 2024 grass-court season, the surface on which he has had the most success of his career.

On Monday night, the 29-year-old gave fans an update on his comeback.

“Will be trying to hit with some players (in) the next two weeks to test my wrist out and get a better indication of where I’m at,” he said.

“Stay tuned — (I’m still) commentating and plenty of stuff happening.”

The BBC previously announced Kyrgios will join its commentary team for Wimbledon alongside Australian legend Ash Barty.

Kyrgios is now nearly two years removed from his breakthrough run to the Wimbledon final with just six tournaments under his belt since, including just that one match since he was first sidelined properly at the very beginning of 2023.

In March this year, the enigmatic shot-maker said he was embracing the “struggle” after “being so close to a grand slam”.

“Let this be a reminder that I’m not giving up, I’m taking this process day by day,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself in the gym.

“It’s allowed me to take full advantage of other amazing things in my life, opportunities I would never of (sic) known if I hadn’t gotten injured.

“If you feel like you are struggling or feeling as if you don’t know what’s next, just take the next step you see and make sure it’s in the right direction.”

But it was a separate update — one that came with a specific message to his critics — that offered even greater insight into his journey back from injury.

Kyrgios shared a video of the prominent scars on both sides of his wrist from the operation to repair a torn ligament.

“For those who keep saying I’m just faking an injury… just a little look at my scar,” he wrote.

“It’s larger than your work ethic. But it’s progressing.”

Kyrgios is currently unranked and will need to rely on wildcards to enter tournaments and earn the points he needs to climb the rankings.

His status as a box-office draw is likely to ensure he will receive several offers from around the world when he does eventually rejoin the tour.

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