MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥� Love him or hate him, is good for tennis and the sport will get a boost from his action at the Australian Open 鈥� or so he says.
鈥淲e watch sport because we want personalities. ... It鈥檚 like drama, theater. For me, being personally back, it adds a bit of question marks to, like, 鈥榃hat is going to happen today?鈥� I love that. Every time I step out on court, I don鈥檛 know if I鈥檓 going to be super controversial in a good or bad way,鈥� 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios said on Friday, when he indicated he thinks he'll be able to compete despite a recent issue with an abdominal muscle.
鈥淭hroughout my career, it hasn鈥檛 always been good,鈥� continued the 29-year-old Australian, wearing a green hat in support of his favorite NBA team, the reigning champion Boston Celtics, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 added a lot of excitement to the game.鈥�
As play begins at on Sunday (Saturday EST), Kyrgios is sure to be among the players garnering the most attention from spectators, media and other athletes, assuming, that is, he is fit enough. He played a total of one singles match across 2023 and 2024 combined while dealing with knee and wrist problems.
He made it sound after a practice session Friday morning 鈥� and before a second one planned for the afternoon 鈥� as if he'll be ready for his first major in more than two years.
鈥淚t's good to be back. I think it鈥檚 important,鈥� Kyrgios said. 鈥淚 think the sport was getting a bit mundane.鈥�
No matter what anyone thinks of Kyrgios 鈥� and everyone, it seems, has an opinion, one way or another 鈥� there can be no doubt that he is anything but dull.
That goes for on the court, from the booming serves to the between-the-legs shots to the back-and-forths with chair umpires and spectators to the racket smashes and fine-drawing outbursts. Away from the tour, he never seems far away from headlines, either, including when he when he pleaded guilty to shoving a former girlfriend to the ground during an argument in 2021. And then there are the times when he offers his thoughts, as a TV commentator or via statements at news conferences or online, that upset folks, including lately about doping cases involving .
鈥淚 know that people don鈥檛 like when I just speak out about things,鈥� Kyrgios said recently, 鈥渁nd (am) honest about things.鈥�
The most recent major tournament that Kyrgios was able to participate in was the 2022 U.S. Open.
He returned to competition last week at the Brisbane International tuneup tournament, playing and joining Novak Djokovic for two doubles matches.
When it comes to Kyrgios' talent, other players tend to agree with Jordan Thompson's assessment Friday: 鈥淚f he鈥檚 fit, he鈥檚 a contender.鈥�
Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion and a three-time runner-up at Melbourne Park, said a healthy Kyrgios is 鈥渄efinitely great for tennis.鈥�
鈥淚 would love to see him play against Carlos (Alcaraz) and Jannik (Sinner). His biggest weapon is his serve (and) he has the skills and the hands,鈥� Medvedev said. 鈥淚鈥檓 only happy if he comes back to tennis.鈥�
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AP tennis:
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
