Nick Kyrgios makes statement about ATP players who 'dislike' him ahead of comeback

11/19/2024 10:05 PM

Nick Kyrgios doesn't think too many of his fellow colleagues will be happy seeing him back but adds that it doesn't matter because he will be on a mission and accomplishing his comeback goals is the most important thing.

In 2022, the Australian tennis star had his best season on the Tour and he was legitimately considered one of the best players at the time. But after making his first Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon that year - clinching several top-10 wins throughout the year - and overall doing pretty well, the former world No. 13 injured his knee just before the start of 2023. 

After playing in only tournament in mid-2023, Kyrgios suffered a very serious wrist injury and had to have another surgery. Now, he is set to officially be back in the first week of the 2025 season at the Brisbane International. 

"Whether a player wants me to come back or not, I don't think there will be too many happy faces seeing me back on the tour. I had a lot of friends and also a lot of people that didn't get along with me which I think is completely normal in sport and I think the tennis world needs a bit more of that," the seven-time ATP champion said. 

When revealing the details of his wrist surgery, Kyrgios revealed that there were "four holes in my hand" and that he feared the worst because for quite some time he wasn't able to do the most basic things. 

In 2021, former world No. 3 Dominic Thiem also sustained a wrist injury. When he returned 10 months later, he wasn't the same player and never again regained his old level before ultimately retiring last month. The Austrian maybe didn't get the results he wanted in his comeback but he still serves as an inspiration to Kyrgios. 

"I think people whom I have drawn inspiration from, someone like Dominic Thiem, he also went through a major surgery and his one wasn't as severe as mine and to see him getting to a challenging level and play some Grand Slams was a bonus. I wanna get back and win some big matches," the 29-year-old shared. 

As mentioned above, the former world No. 13 didn't even know if he would be able to return after such a serious wrist injury and surgery. When he started practicing again, he met with Djokovic during this year's Wimbledon for a session. 

And after their practice session ended, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion told the Australian that he didn't feel like he was someone who was coming off a major surgery. That was all that Kyrgios needed to hear.

“I was hitting with Novak and when he said to me, ‘It doesn’t look like you’ve had surgery. And that was a big motivation to say like maybe I’m actually making some inroads and some progress into getting back because I didn’t really know. That was a big drive for me... so, if he didn’t say that, I don’t 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," the 2022 Wimbledon finalist recounted.

In the last couple of months, there were strong indications that Kyrgios would launch his comeback at the start of 2025 and play at the Australian Open. Last week, he was confirmed for the Brisbane International, which takes place between December 29 - January 05. Unless he also signs up for something else, he will play two tournaments during the Australian summer. 

"Honestly, this is probably the best I've felt in two years. I played that amazing year in 2022. Then, at the finals in Wimbledon and the US Open, that's when I started feeling some issues in my wrist. I had that wrist reconstruction, and now I'm feeling amazing. It was a 15% miracle chance that I was going to get back to playing at this level and here we are. To get back out there in front of the home fans is going to be sick. I am feeling fit and healthy, and I am excited for my return to tennis following some time out of the sport," Kyrgios told Nine News.

For his comeback, the 29-year-old has some big goals to achieve, like winning a Grand Slam. But to even think about that, Kyrgios will need to stay healthy and avoid any major setbacks.