Nick Kyrgios in shock French Open claim after injury layoff
The Australian hasn't played tennis for seven months.
A top official has claimed Nick Kyrgios hasn't been ruled out of making a shock appearance at the French Open, despite the Aussie having not played tennis since last year. Earlier this year, Kyrgios withdrew from the Australian Open to leave his fans in shock.
The Wimbledon finalist hasn't returned to the tour since undergoing surgery on his knee and there has been no indication on when the 28-year-old will come back to the sport. This has left some fans worried that Kyrgios won't make the French Open after the Aussie announced his intention to play at the grand slam.
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He hasn't played the clay-court slam since 2017 and appears odds-on to wait until the grass-court season before making his return to the ATP tour. Speaking late last year, Kyrgios flagged his intentions to play the French Open in 2023 because his girlfriend wanted to see Paris.
While there has been no news of a comeback date, with many presuming the Wimbledon finalist will wait for the grass court season to make a push, it appears there might be hope for the Australian to make an appearance in Paris.
Yet the talk suggests Kyrgios is on track for a shock return at the season's second major, which starts in Paris on May 28. "I think he will play Roland Garros," a senior tennis official told AAP.
With his management remaining tight-lipped, fans will have to see it to believe it. Kyrgios' last match on clay ended in disaster after he was defaulted for throwing a chair on the court at the 2019 Rome Masters during a match against Casper Ruud.
Despite not having played tennis this year, Kyrgios still remains at World No.26 due to a stellar 2022 season. This means he would be seeded for the French Open and wouldn't play a higher ranked rival until the round of 32.
Nick Kyrgios announced Laver Cup participation
While Kyrgios hasn't confirmed his current timeline on his return, the Australian did announce he would play in the 2023 edition of the Laver Cup.
Kyrgios will once again team up with Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, as well as American players Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe. For Team Europe, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev have also confirmed their participation.
Team Europe had Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray at their disposal last year due to the fact Federer was playing the final event of his storied career. It remains to be seen whether the tennis greats will return in 2023.
Regardless, Kyrgios was keen to rejoin the team. “The fact that Team World finally got one on the board is amazing,” Kyrgios said of last year's result.
“I’ve been a part of the team four times and we came up short after being close so many times. The fact that now we know we can do it is a special thing. Hopefully, I can just add to that team, not change the spirit up too much, just add some positive vibes and see if we can get it done again.”
with AAP
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