Nick Kyrgios set for a surprise return to tennis in a high profile role

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Nick Kyrgios (Netflix)

Tennis fans have barely heard or seen from Nick Kyrgios in 2023, but all that is about to change in the final week of the regular season.

Kyrgios has been struggling with knee and wrist injuries after his fine performances last year reached a crescendo when he reached his first Grand Slam final by making it through to the final at Wimbledon.

He lost that match against Novak Djokovic, but it appeared his career-best run at Wimbledon was the spark that could make Kyrgios a consistent contender at the top of the game.

Injury problems have destroyed that ambition, with Kyrgios pulling out of the Australian Open in January, as he missed out on the chance to play in front of his home fans.

Kyrgios then withdrew from the French Open after initially hinting he would play in Paris and while he tried to make a comeback at Wimbledon, he pulled out of that event on the eve of the tournament.

The Aussie has not been seen on court since, with rumours swirling that he may be close to confirming his retirement from tennis.

There are suggestions that he will play at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown event in the first week of December, as he eyes up a return to the sport ahead of the Australian Open in January.

Now his fans will get a chance to see him before that event, as he will be a commentator and analyst for The Tennis Channel at the ATP Finals in Turin later this month.

The press release confirming Kyrgios will be part of the Tennis Channel coverage for the ATP Final came with an interesting description of the Aussie maverick.

READ MORE: 2023 ATP Finals: Dates and venue, players and teams who qualified, the draw, prize money, streaming info

“Nick Kyrgios, whose electric style of play and straight-to-the-point conversational approach have endeared him to millions of fans around the world, is joining Tennis Channel as an analyst during its coverage of the ATP Finals November 12-19,” read the statement.

“It will be Kyrgios’ first time working with the network, and it will happen during the most exclusive event in men’s tennis, with just the top-eight singles players and doubles teams qualifying for the event based on points earned during the 2023 season.”

There is no doubt that the outspoken Kyrgios will be a fascinating analyst, as he has been one of the most controversial characters in the game over the last decade and has never held back when giving his views.

He may also expand on his belief that he can still be a threat at the top of the game if he can beat his injury problems and get back on court.

“I’ve never been a player that needs a lot of matches before playing a Grand Slam,” said Kyrgios.

“I’ve always been kind of on the side of not playing too much. What I’ve achieved in my career never leaves. Last year, it wasn’t that long ago really. I feel like I’m still serving as good as ever. I’m still able to beat a lot of people on the court.

“The thing about tennis is the tour is so vigorous, there’s tournaments week in and week out, you kind of don’t have time to reflect on anything you’ve done.

“I’ve had so much time to sit back and be forced to look at everything I did last year. I wanted to do more.

“Pulling out of the Australian Open was one of the hardest things I had to do because I generally feel like, with the tennis I was playing and with my Grand Slam experience, just the way I was feeling, I felt like I could win that tournament.

“It’s been hard. I’m trying to expect the same sort of tennis that I was playing last year, and I don’t think that’s fair at the moment.”

Nick Kyrgios

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