'I never felt more comfortable at any other event': Nick Kyrgios confirms comeback tournament after four months out

Nick Kyrgios has confirmed the tournament where he will return to the courts after a relapse of his injury, which prevented him from playing throughout the entire European Swing. The Australian will have been out for four months, missing all clay-court and grass-court tournaments.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion, however, already has a date set for his return: none other than the ATP 500 DC Open, where he entered thanks to his protected ranking. Let's remember that Kyrgios only managed to play one match between 2022 and 2023, and it took him 18 months to return to the courts at the Brisbane International earlier this year.

Kyrgios underwent surgery and feared for his retirement, but at the beginning of the year, he managed to make his comeback to the courts. Since then, he has played four tournaments, the last one being the Miami Open, with a 1-4 record. His only victory came in Miami, where he defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the first round (3-6, 6-3, 6-4), only to then fall to Karen Khachanov (7-6, 6-0).

Shortly after, Kyrgios announced that a knee injury would keep him out for a while, and his return was expected at the French Open, to play doubles alongside Jordan Thompson. However, he withdrew at the last minute due to a recurrence, and soon after confirmed that he would also miss the grass swing, forcing him to withdraw from Wimbledon.

Nevertheless, the former world No. 13 has been working on his return to compete in good physical condition. He will do so at the DC Open, a tournament that begins on Monday, July 21, and where Kyrgios has already had great success. "Hey guys, I cannot wait to be returning this summer to DC Open, it’s one of my favourite tournaments, I love the fans, I love the energy and as a two-time champion, I never felt more comfortable at any other event. I can’t wait to see you all.”

The 30-year-old player currently appears as world No. 640 in the Ranking, although his protected ranking of No. 21 (prior to the injury) allows him to enter the main draw without needing a wildcard.

Kyrgios became champion in 2019 – defeating Daniil Medvedev in two tie-breaks – while he repeated the title in 2022, comfortably beating Yoshito Nishioka (6-4, 6-3).