Nick Kyrgios given reality check by Aus Open boss as comeback uncertain | Tennis | Sport
Nick Kyrgios is ramping up his comeback after spending most of the last three years sidelined by knee and wrist injuries. The former world No. 13 made a short-lived comeback in January, playing five matches across four tournaments before taking another forced hiatus. Kyrgios is now back in action at some exhibition events – and will also face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a Battle of the Sexes later this month.
The 30-year-old has also signed up for the One Point Slam, an unusual exhibition event taking place ahead of the Australian Open, where amateurs face professionals in matches consisting of just one point. But Kyrgios’ participation in the Australian Open itself seems to be in doubt.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist is currently ranked outside the world’s top 600 due to his injury struggles. Kyrgios’ protected ranking of No. 21, which allowed him to enter tournaments after his long layoff, has since expired after he used it to compete at the beginning of the year.
It means the Aussie will need a wildcard if he wants to play his home Grand Slam tournament, and there’s no guarantee that Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley will give him one.
Addressing Kyrgios’ potential appearance at Melbourne Park, Tiley told The Tennis podcast: “I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see. But he’s playing, which is good, he’s been playing events leading in, and I know he wants to play in the summer.
“So if he wants to play in the summer, it means he wants to play the Australian Open, but there’s still a lot of water that needs to go under the bridge. I think he’s beyond the period of a protected ranking, so he’s going to need a wild card to play as far as I’m concerned.”
Kyrgios has already been out on the court for two exhibition matches in America against Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton. The seven-time title winner will also compete in the World Tennis League exhibition event in India before heading to Dubai for the Battle of the Sexes with Sabalenka.
Their upcoming match has received backlash from some who have questioned whether it will undermine women’s tennis, but Kyrgios recently hit back at critics in a social media post. He wrote: “Btw all the negative comments towards the Battle of the Sexes are doing nothing but giving it more attention.
“At the end of the day, Aryna will go down as one of the greatest players to play this game. I will have entertained crowds around the world. We are two humans that are good friends and want to put on a show and get more eyes on tennis.
“Not all this other BS – does this not look like TENNIS is going in the right DIRECTION? Sit back and enjoy the show – we both love the challenge and are going into this with no real experience. No one cares what you have to say.”
