Nick Kyrgios made his long-awaited return to tennis at Abu Dhabi’s World Tennis League, showing flashes of his old form despite a mixed bag of results.
The Australian star, who’s been sidelined after wrist surgery, couldn’t hide his joy at being back on court. “Never thought I’d play again after my wrist surgery. Blessed,” he shared on Instagram, along with several photos from the event.
Kyrgios is using this exhibition tournament as a warm-up for his home season in Australia, where he’s got something special planned – a doubles partnership with Novak Djokovic.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|
Playing for The Kites team, Kyrgios sat out the first day’s action, watching from the bench as his teammates grabbed a 25-20 win over The Eagles.
His actual comeback came in the second tie against The Falcons, where he teamed up with Jasmine Paolini for mixed doubles. The pair clicked immediately, pulling off a solid 7-5 win over Caroline Garcia and Denis Shapovalov.
But the day’s biggest test was still to come.
With The Kites trailing 17-18, everything came down to Kyrgios’s singles match against Andrey Rublev. The Russian had already been playing like a man possessed throughout the tournament, and he wasn’t about to slow down.
Rublev grabbed an early break in the third game and held firm. Even when Kyrgios found two break points late in the match, Rublev wouldn’t budge, closing out a 6-4 win that sealed a 24-21 victory for The Falcons.
The loss puts The Kites in a tough spot – they’ll need to beat The Hawks in their final group match to have any chance of making the finals.
Earlier in the tie, Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia had set the tone for The Falcons, edging out Simona Halep and Paolini in a tight 7-6 doubles match. Rybakina then followed up with a 6-4 singles win over Halep.
For Kyrgios, though, just being back on court feels like a victory. With the Australian tennis summer just around the corner, he’s got plenty to look forward to – especially that doubles showdown with Djokovic that fans are already buzzing about.
