Will Nick Kyrgios play in the Australian Open?
Love him or hate him, Nick Kyrgios rarely fails to raise the roof at the Australian Open.
His participation in this year’s tournament, however, is in doubt.
The Sporting News takes a look at Kyrgios’ status ahead of the first grand slam event of 2024.
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It is currently unclear whether Kyrgios will feature at Melbourne Park in 2024.
The Australian hasn’t played a professional tennis match since June, losing in straight sets to Wu Yibing at the Stuttgart Open.
He has struggled with wrist and knee injuries this season, with his last grand slam tournament match a quarter-final defeat to Karen Khachanov at the US Open in 2022.
With the Australian Open just over two months away, time is ticking for Kyrgios to prove his fitness and intention to play ahead of the event.
Despite this, tournament boss Craig Tiley is relatively confident he will be ready — and raring — to go.
“I personally believe in the communication that he’s motivated to come back and play in January,” Tiley said at the Australian Open launch in October.
“He loves playing here … in front of his crowd. He knows everyone wants him to play.
“The one thing great about Nick, [is] he’s very transparent and very open about what he’s feeling and what he thinks.”
The odds of Kyrgios participating in the doubles draw are fairly slim, with the Australian likely to focus on his singles tennis as he returns from injury.
Unless the 28-year-old returns to the court promptly and rebuilds his fitness, Thanasi Kokkinakis will need to find a different partner for the event.
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In 2022, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis became the first wildcard duo in the open era to lift the Australian Open men’s doubles trophy.
Following their unlikely run, the ‘Special Ks’ continued to play together for the remainder of the season.
They picked up a total of 19 wins from the eight tournaments they participated in during 2022, which saw them compete in their first-ever ATP Finals.
Australian Open 2024 will commence on Sunday, January 14 and become a 15-day event for the first time, finishing on Sunday, January 28.
