Nick Kyrgios backed to make competitive tennis return for US swing

Nick Kyrgios has been tipped to make his competitive return during the US hard-court swing.

Kyrgios has not played on tour for over a year, but has been a regular presence at Wimbledon after he secured a commentary slot with BBC.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up pulled out on the eve of the Championships last year, but has spent time with Novak Djokovic on the practice court during the past fortnight and compatriot Alex De Minaur has revealed the Australian could soon be back playing again on a tennis court.

“I have seen him hitting, he looks like he’s feeling a lot better,” De Minaur said at a press conference to confirm his withdrawal from Wimbledon due to a hip injury.

“As far as I know, I think the US hard court is when he is planning to return. I don’t know the exact specifics.

“It will depend on his injury and how he’s feeling.”

Kyrgios’ last grand slam appearance was at the US Open in 2022, where he made the quarter-finals two months after he lost to Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.

The 29-year-old was set to feature in the Australian Open at the start of 2023, but a knee injury forced Kyrgios to withdraw and he subsequently had arthroscopic surgery.

After Kyrgios recovered to make his return at Stuttgart last summer for what proved to be his only match of the year, a wrist issue forced him to pull out of Wimbledon and he has not played competitively since.