Post by : Meena Ariff

Australian tennis figure Nick Kyrgios has signalled fresh hope of returning to competition after an unexpected improvement in a long-running knee problem. The 30-year-old — who has featured in only five singles matches over the past three years because of wrist and knee operations — sounded cautiously optimistic about a potential tilt at the 2025 Australian Open.

“In the last month, I don’t know what it is… something really has changed with my knee,” Kyrgios said, noting the absence of swelling and the lack of post-session soreness that had troubled him previously.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist likened the change to a significant reversal of deterioration, suggesting his knee feels markedly better than it has for some time. “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,” he added.

Kyrgios said he has been able to string together multiple days of training — a breakthrough after months of disrupted rehabilitation — without setbacks. “I don’t want to jinx it, but something in it has gone, kind of allowed me to put three, four days of training together… and be able to actually recover and then build on that,” he explained.

Currently 652nd in the world following his extended absence, Kyrgios would need a wildcard to play at Melbourne Park. He last competed on tour in March 2025, falling in the second round of the Miami Open.

As a step towards match practice, Kyrgios is scheduled to take part in an exhibition in Dubai on December 28, facing women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a novelty “Battle of the Sexes” encounter.

#Global