Nick Kyrgios signs up to play at the 2022 Citi Open in Washington
ATP
Nick Kyrgios will be returning to the Citi Open to compete in Washington, D.C., as part of his preparation for the US Open, the tournament has announced.
Three years ago, Kyrgios won his last ATP title, and it was in Washington. He was red hot all week, dropping just one set en route to the trophy. He memorably defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev in back-to-back matches.
The tournament was not held in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic that swept the tennis calendar and truncated it. Kyrgios, therefore, defended his title last year but suffered a shock first-round defeat to Mackenzie McDonald.
The 27-year-old didn't play many matches during 2020 and 2021, recording only 13 victories in two years, largely because of persistent injuries but also inconsistency.
But things are looking rosier in 2022, as he has almost as many wins as during those two years combined. Kyrgios, who is due to face Andy Murray in the semifinal in Stuttgart, won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open doubles tournament and was a quarterfinalist in Indian Wells.
Despite taking a long break during the clay-court swing and playing in only one tournament in Houston, he's adding more tournaments to his schedule for a critical second half of the season.
For the majority of the tournaments, he needed a wild card because of his low rankings, which were brought about by his absence from the Tour. But he has been impressed by the new showings this season and will be a major contender at Wimbledon if he keeps playing consistently at a high level.
Kyrgios will rise as high as 44th in the ATP rankings after Stuttgart and will play his first hard-court tournament this summer in the United States at the Citi Open, bidding to win his second title there. He has been listed as part of a star-studded lineup that also includes Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, and Frances Tiafoe.
