Is Nick Kyrgios’s latest Instagram post a sign his return from knee surgery isn’t going to plan?

Nick Kyrgios’ knee injury could be causing him more problems than suspected after the Australian tennis star posted images on social media indicating his recovery could take longer than previously thought.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist was ruled out of the Australian Open after an MRI revealed a cyst resulting from a small lateral meniscus tear that required surgery to clean and repair the joint.

He had booked the Indian Wells Masters tournament in March for his comeback.

However, the world number 20 posted an image on his instagram stories on Tuesday showing him playing in a previous Indian Wells tournament with a sad face emoji.

It suggests that his return from knee surgery might not be planned and he could miss the ATP tournament in California.

Kyrgios posted a picture of him warming up in Indian Wells with a sad face emoji, suggesting he may not be able to go through with his plan to return from tournament injury.

Kyrgios also posted an image taking selfies with his followers, including the caption “I miss my fans.”

The Australian star has been prolific with his social media posts, including images of him catching up with friends and family and a video of him joking around during physiotherapy while pretending his knee injury had him in agony.

Kyrgios received a wild card entry into the main draw of the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and it was a rollercoaster ride until the quarterfinals, where he fell to Rafael Nadal in three sets.

Kygrios posted a series of images to his Instagram stories, including this one where he says he misses his fans after being ruled out of the Australian Open.

Kyrgios hit back at Ruud after the Norwegian called the Australian an “idiot” and had another shot at him at the Indian Wells tournament in 2022.

A combustible Kyrgios completely melted down against Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Indian Wells tournament and almost hit a ball boy when he broke his racket.

After being knocked out of the 2019 Italian Open against Casper Ruud, Kyrgios faced the Norwegian for the first time since that incident.

The Australian was a picture of concentration as he beat Ruud, but had a post-match attack on his opponent when he stared down the barrel of a camera.

Now I can’t hear. Neither. Damn none. Nothing,” Kyrgios said.

However, it was in the quarterfinal against Nadal that Kyrgios really fell apart.

He blew up the audience, even dragging comedian Ben Stiller into his antics as he shot a rioter in the crowd. The exchange went like this:

Kyrgios: ‘Are you good at tennis?’

Interlocutor: ‘No.’

Kyrgios: ‘Exactly, so don’t tell me how to play. [Pointing at Stiller and his wife who were sitting nearby] Do I tell him how to act? Not.’

Kyrgios also smashed his racket into the court, which saw it go flying and nearly hit a ball boy. She later apologized and gave the boy a new tennis racket.

The Australian fuel have been collectively fined around $800,000 USD, which equates to more than $1.1 million in Australian money.