Nick Kyrgios returns and changes tone: Jannik Sinner, however, remains in the crosshairs
Nick Kyrgios is back in the news for on-court matters rather than his often over-the-top attitudes (with Jannik Sinner being the target of his statements more than once), and he has every intention of playing the role of the season’s loose cannon on grass. Enrolled in the Stuttgart Open as a wild card in both singles and doubles with Alexander Bublik, the Australian re-entered the circuit with a convincing victory over Corentin Moutet and is aiming for new prestigious results.
“They had to reconstruct my wrist, I had four knee surgeries, I fought a lot,” Kyrgios said, visibly emotional, to the microphones of the Stuttgart tournament organization. “In these months I have been working a lot, now I finally feel really good even if there were moments when I wondered if it was worth continuing to think about returning to the court. Now I look at the fans cheering me on and understand my motivation. I’m going to be around for a while longer.”
The return to grass is no accident: as a finalist in the 2022 edition of the Wimbledon tournament, the Australian is aiming for a wild card for the Championships, although he does not yet make explicit mention of it: “I really enjoy playing on grass. Champions such as Roger Federer or my friend Novak Djokovic have developed on this surface, plus there are so many grass courts in Australia: I’m really comfortable there,” he explained.
At Wimbledon, Kyrgios could also put Jannik Sinner, whom he has not crossed paths with on court for four years, back in his sights. There is bad blood between the two, especially because of the Australian’s numerous barbs on the sidelines of the so-called ‘Case-Clostebol,’ to which, however, the South Tyrolean has never wanted to respond. The possibility of a challenge at Wimbledon, however, is already starting to fuel the tournament narrative again. And should Kyrgios really get a wild card, the idea of a duel with the world number one would become one of the hottest topics of the summer.
