It's been quite some time since Nick Kyrgios competed on the ATP Tour, but he's back and will start at the 2023 Stuttgart Open.
After having one of the best seasons of his career, finishing the season 22nd in the ATP Rankings, the Australian experienced probably one of the most challenging periods of his career. Since withdrawing from his quarterfinal match at the 2022 Japan Open, fans didn't have a chance to see Kyrgios, but that will change at the 2023 Stuttgart Open.
Entering the tournament as the eighth-seeded player, despite not playing for 8 months and being away 5 months due to a knee surgery, the World No. 26 will start against Yibing Wu from China, who will want to take advantage of the little match practice that his opponent has in 2023.
But for Kyrgios it won't be about how far he goes early on, but about being back on the tennis court. Speaking ahead of the ATP 250 event in Stuttgart, the Australian said that he's ready to play again.
"I wouldn’t say it was major surgery, but I had quite a serious surgery on my knee. It's taken me about five months to get back to even playing, moving and [ready to play] against these players."
Speaking about how he dealt with time away from the Tour, Kyrgios admitted that even though it was challenging at times because of seeing everyone else play, he was also happy to be able to spend time with his family.
"It’s been difficult, but at times it’s been amazing just to be home with my family. Tennis is a sport where you travel so much of the year and being home, for me, was important. But seeing everyone [else] play wasn’t easy at times. I’m just super excited that my knee is a bit better and I’m able to play now."
It's not a surprise that it's the grass-court part of the season when the 2022 Wimbledon finalist is making his comeback. It's his most favourite surface, and he managed to play in the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open twice before.
"The grass season for me is always the best part of the year. This year has been really tough for me, obviously recovering from knee surgery. I’m coming back at a tournament [where] I’ve done really well in the past, played some amazing matches."
"The crowd is always really supportive, and the atmosphere is really good. I’m super excited to be here again and to get out there and play the sport that I’ve been working so hard to get back to."
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