Kyrgios handed nightmare draw as tennis comeback confirmed
Nick Kyrgios will make his return to ATP circuit in the coming days at the Boss Open in Stuttgart, Germany.
It will be the 31-year-old’s first tour match since January, where he was bundled out of the Brisbane Open in the first round, amid an attempt to play singles at the Australian Open.
Nick Kyrgios won his match at the Kooyong Classic on Tuesday. Getty Images
He ultimately relinquished his wildcard entry into the Grand Slam and instead played doubles and mixed doubles, citing a lack of confidence in his body.
Kyrgios has battled constant injuries throughout his career, battling significant wrist and knee issues since 2023.
However, he will once again attempt to ramp up in the second half of the year and make a charge at Wimbledon, starting in Germany.
He will take on impressive French No.34 seed Corentin Moutet in the first round of the bracket.
Fellow Aussies James Duckworth and Rinky Hijikata will also compete, alongside the likes of Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Alexander Bublik.
Kyrgios has previously expressed his desire to play again at Wimbledon, where he came runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2022. He has had his eye on the grass season all year, admitting he was never going to play on clay.
Speaking in March, the controversial Aussie said he currently has no plans to retire any time soon.
“All I do now is play for the fans,” Kyrgios said.
“I still have a massive following. Now, I just enjoy going out there for the fans and putting on a crazy show, seeing the kids out there, that’s basically why I’m playing now.”
These comments coupled with his return in Germany likely indicate he will make another charge at the Australian Open in 2027, should his body allow him.
However, he knows his body is now more limited than it was in his 20s.
“When you’re at the top of the sport, I genuinely thought I was unbeatable,” he said in January.
“I’d go out on court and I thought, ‘no one can genuinely beat me’. You actually have that confidence and the delusion that you are that person.
“I just don’t think that after you have these surgeries ... they kind of pull you down and it’s like you don’t have that belief anymore.”
His last singles win in an ATP match came in the first round at the Miami Open in 2025. That victory was his first since his storied 2022 run.
Kyrgios confirmed his comeback on Instagram, asking for barbers in Stuttgart to message him.
Another Instagram story posted hours later showed him practicing wearing a Victor Oladipo Indiana Pacers jersey with the caption “still a kid having fun out there I guess”.
The final post of him practicing tags Roger Federer, asking for feedback on a slow motion video of him serving.
