The Australian is set to take part in one of the highest-profile tennis matches of 2025 when he plays Aryna Sabalenka in a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ clash in Dubai next weekend and now he has confirmed it will be a prelude to his full return to action.
Kyrgios has struggled to get on court since his memorable run to the 2022 Wimbledon final, where he lost against Novak Djokovic.
Wrist and knee problems have hampered Kyrgios’s ambitions, with attempts to return to the sport at the Australian Open last January and then at Wimbledon last July halted by injury setbacks.
Now Kyrgios appears to be gearing himself up for a full-time return to tennis, after he was handed a wildcard into the ATP 250 event in Brisbane.
He also competed in that event last year and played well in a three-set defeat against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, but the physical issues he suffered after that loss halted his hopes of a comeback at the Australian Open.
Now the 30-year-old is claiming his knee problems have been resolved, as he offered up some hugely positive comments last month.
“I don’t know whether to call it a miracle or anything, but my knee feels like it’s gotten younger by a couple of years,” Kyrgios told the Australian Associated Press.
“Something in the last month, I don’t know what it is. I was with my masseuse and physio last night and something really has changed with my knee. It’s not swelling. It’s not feeling bad after a session.
“I have a new lease on life on court. Honestly, I’m in a really good space at the moment and, physically, I’ve been putting in the work.”
Kyrgios will be hoping to get a wildcard into the Australian Open, but tournament director Craig Tiley has suggested that decision will only be made when the Aussie confirms he is fit to compete in Melbourne.
“I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see,” said Tiley, when asked about a Kyrgios wildcard. “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 wildcard to play as far as I’m concerned.”
Given all his problems over the last three years, this may well be a final attempt from Kyrgios to compete at the top of the men’s game once again, with the demands of playing three or four matches in quick succession certain to test his physical limitations.
The world will be watching when Kyrgios plays Sabalenka in the much-discussed match in Dubai next week and if he gets his way, it will be the first of many appearances for Kyrgios on big tennis stages over the next few months.
