Nick Kyrgios made a return to professional tennis during the Australian Open even if his participation in the event proved to be shortlived.
The Australian performer hadn’t featured at a Grand Slam since the US Open in 2022. He reached the quarter-final of that even just months after going all the way to the final at Wimbledon.
A horrible wrist injury saw him lose two years of his career, however. For a while, it was touch and go whether or not he would actually make it out onto a tennis court again but at Melbourne an emotional return took place.
Kyrgios looked somewhat off the place during his first-round match against Jacob Fearnley. He was beaten comfortably in straight sets and struggled with an abdominal problem during the first-round contest.
Still, it’s great to see Kyrgios in good spirits and back with a racket in his hand and now he’s been taking part in some fun and games regarding other players out on the practice court.
Nick Kyrgios delivers one-word assessment on Roger Federer and Serena Williams
Naturally, Federer and Williams are always in the discussion when picking the greatest players of all time. Now, Kyrgios has had his say on two of the biggest stars that the game has ever seen.
Kyrgios was asked to sum up each player using just a single word. For Federer, he elaborated on his words and said: “Pretty, like pretty to watch, like the most natural player to watch.”
When asked for a word on Williams, he simply said: “Champion.”
Both players won a host of Grand Slam titles and have retired as two of the greatest players to ever play the game of tennis in their respective sides of the game.
Tennis needs Kyrgios to continue playing
Kyrgios said at the Australian Open that he’s not forced to play at the tournament again. With the player short of match sharpness and an issue with injuries, he might have a point.
However, tennis needs players like Kyrgios. He is one of the game’s great characters and it’s a real shame he couldn’t get over the line and win Wimbledon in 2022.
That said, only Kyrgios knows what the future holds. It’s certainly positive to see him back out on the courts after the Australian Open and preparing for his next tournament.
It looks almost certain that Kyrgios will play each of the four majors this year and a decent run at one of them might not be out of the question if he can get some short of sharpness back.
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