Nick Kyrgios has confirmed he will return to tennis at the upcoming Australian Open.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has not played a single match for 492 days while battling serious knee and wrist injuries.
His last match dates all the way back to June 13, 2023, when he lost in straight sets to China’s Yibing Wu.
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That was his only appearance for 2023, having pulled out of the Australian Open earlier that year.
Doubts have long emerged that Kyrgios would ever get back to competitive tennis on tour.
But speaking at SXSW Sydney on Thursday, the 29-year-old confirmed his return.
“The injury I had was brutal,” he said as a keynote speaker on stage.
“The surgeon said I probably wouldn’t be able to play again. But I said whatever, just try and get me another 2-3 years of my career.
“Everything has gone semi-well and I will be playing the Australia Open this summer.”
Kyrgios has delved into tennis commentary and ventures outside the sport during his hiatus from playing.
But he says it’s been tough to have to sit out for so long.
“It’s been a brutal last couple of years … but just being out there to play in front of a home crowd … I just want to be out there, lighting up the crowd and playing in front of my own country,” Kyrios added.
“Whether it is good or bad, it will certainly be a lot of fun, for sure. I am looking forward to it.
“My only motivation to come back and play is to try and win a grand slam, and I’ll give it one more shot.”
Earlier in October, he hinted at a looming return at Melbourne Park during an Instagram live video.
Just minutes later though, a cryptic Instagram post had fans questioning how long Kyrgios had left in the game.
“Tennis … damn … it’s been A CRAZY JOURNEY!!!! It all started because of you. FOREVER GRATEFUL. I love all my FANS. There are only a few chapters left,” he wrote.
“Go out with a bang and on your terms Kygs, excited to see what’s up your sleeve,” one fan commented.
Appearing to be on the road to recovery, Kyrgios appeared at the UTS event in New York in August where he won an entertaining, albeit modified, clash with Casper Ruud.
He said then that he surprised himself.
“I wasn’t expecting to play this well at all,” he said.
“Coming out here and still having that level, it’s amazing. What a way to come back.
“I’ve been putting in some serious work, every single day back home.
“Obviously pretty emotional, it’s been a brutal 11 months. I didn’t know if I was going to play tennis again with the state of my wrist. It was literally conversations of never playing again.”