(Melbourne) Nick Kyrgios signed up for the Kooyong tournament in January on Tuesday, a sign that the whimsical Australian, regularly injured in recent years, then hopes to play the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Kyrgios, 30, has been missing from the ATP Tour since March, and has played only six singles matches (with just one win and five losses) over the past three seasons due to wrist and knee surgeries.
However, he lined up for the Kooyong exhibition tournament, from January 13 to 15 in Melbourne, a traditional stage of preparation for the Australian Open which begins three days later.
He will notably find the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, world No.8, the world No.11 from Kazakhstan Alexander Bublik, and the recent Italian winners of the Davis Cup Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini.
At the beginning of November, the Wimbledon 2022 finalist said that his left knee injury had suddenly progressed favorably and that he could hope for “a miracle” to play the Australian Open (January 18-1er February), for which he would need an invitation from the organizers.
Kyrgios reached 13e world place, but fell to 666e rank due to its long period of inactivity. His last match was in his second round loss in Miami in March.
Before Kooyong, the Australian is expected to participate in the 2025 World League in India and is due to face women’s world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka on December 28 in an exhibition match in Dubai nicknamed “the Battle of the Sexes”.
