Nick Kyrgios issues ‘miracle’ injury update ahead of controversial ‘Battle of the Sexes’
Nick Kyrgios has revealed a ‘really exciting’ turnaround in his fitness ahead of a potential return to action in 2026 — questioning whether to call his recovery a ‘miracle’.
Injury struggles have plagued former world No 13 and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios since the start of 2023, with a knee issue proving particularly troublesome.
Since the end of the 2022 season, Kyrgios has played just five ATP Tour-level matches, with just one match played in 2023, and no matches in 2024.
The 30-year-old attempted a more sustained comeback at the start of 2025 and picked up his first win over two years at the Miami Open in March, beating Mackenzie McDonald, but has not played a singles match since a second-round loss to Karen Khachanov.
Kyrgios entered several tournaments across the rest of 2025 but was unable to take to court for any singles match, making a sole doubles appearance alongside Gael Monfils in an opening-round loss at the Citi D.C Open.
However, the Australian is set to return to court in December for a highly-publicised ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition against WTA world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai.
And, that could lead to a return to ATP action in 2026, with his home Grand Slam tournament — the Australian Open — taking place in January.
Speaking to the Australian Associated Press this week, Kyrgios revealed he was now able to spend more time on the practice court after a remarkable turnaround in his fitness.
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He said: “In the last month, I don’t know what it is. I was with my masseuse and physio last night, and something really has changed with my knee.
“It’s not swelling. It’s not feeling bad after a session. 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.
“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 on court for an hour-and-a-half, two hours and be able to actually recover and then build on that.
“So that’s been really exciting, and I haven’t really told anyone. I have a new lease on life on court.”
Kyrgios’ comments come just two months before the traditional Australian swing, the start of the tennis season.
The Australian was in action during the swing in his attempted comeback earlier this year, falling to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the Brisbane International before an Australian Open defeat to Jacob Fearnley.
However, before all that comes his controversial exhibition against Sabalenka, which was officially confirmed earlier this week after the pair had both previously alluded to a potential clash.
Kyrgios and Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion and WTA year-end No 1 for 2025, will meet in the exhibition match on December 28th.
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