Nick Kyrgios' participation at the 2024 Australian Open looks increasingly uncertain, but tournament director Craig Tiley assured fans he is expected to be there in some capacity.
It is unclear whether Kyrgios will play at his home Slam, having been out of action for the entire 2023 campaign - albeit playing just one singles match in 2023. Kyrgios sustained a knee injury in late 2022, keeping him out of the sport for the entire first half of last season.
After recovering from a meniscus tear in his knee, the Australian star injured his wrist in the build-up to Wimbledon and was forced to pull out from the event at the 11th hour. He shared regular updates about his comeback and admitted he was still in pain.
Kyrgios withdrew from a slew of tennis events in the second half of the season, including at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown. It would have been an ideal way to ease his body into competition rather than the demanding rigors of the ATP tour.
On Monday, Craig Tiley spoke to reporters and sounded upbeat about Kyrgios' involvement at the 2024 Australian Open. He may be a divisive figure in the tennis world, but Kyrgios is a big drawcard back home, and his presence, even in a non-playing role, is sure to be a must-see.
"The update is day-by-day with him. He'll be best to assess that, we're going to have Nick here in some form or another in January. Hopefully, it is to play because he's a crowd-pleaser. We love watching Nick and love having him around.
While Tiley is hopeful that Kyrgios will play, the 28-year-old has not signed up to play any warm-up tournaments in the opening weeks of January despite getting invites to play at the Brisbane 250. In his most recent television appearance on Tennis Channel, Kyrgios told fans "stars need to align" when giving a verdict of his tennis return.