STUTTGART (AFP) – Nick Kyrgios said he is “super-excited” to return to tennis following knee surgery as he begins his build-up to Wimbledon where last year he made a stunning run to the final.
The fiery Australian takes the eighth seeding at the Stuttgart grass court tournament having not played an ATP match since early October in Tokyo before managing a well-paid Saudi Arabian exhibition appearance in December.
The 28-year-old was forced to withdraw prior to his opening match at January’s Australian Open before the procedure on his knee and has been home in Canberra ever since.
“The grass season is the best part of the year,” said Kyrgios, runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon last year.
“This year has been tough for me recovering from knee surgery. It was not major but I had quite a serious surgery. It’s taken me five months to get back to even playing and moving again.”
The Australian described himself “super-excited” to be back on court.
In 2022, Kyrgios made the Stuttgart semi-finals, where he lost to Andy Murray.
This year he starts against China’s Wu Yibing, ranked 54th, in the first round.
