Nick Kyrgios is back on Wimbledon’s Court One today, and for once he may not be the most controversial Australian sports star in London after events at Lord’s.
However, he remains a bag full of contradictions. Speaking at his session on Sunday, he spoke of how “heartbreaking” it had been to be on the sidelines, especially missing the Australian Open, and that he was excited to be back at Wimbledon.
Still, he didn’t seem completely convinced. Before his departure, he also insisted that while recovering from knee surgery in January, he hadn’t seen much tennis apart from some players like Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz: “I don’t miss the sport at all, to be honest. I was almost afraid to come back a little bit. But it’s my job.’
At 28, the spry Australian is still trying to work out his attitude to the profession. The enforced absence, which has seen him play just one game since October last year, hasn’t really cleared things up.
That’s part of the fascination that will follow him today in the secondary arena of the All England Club, when he takes on veteran Belgian David Goffin, a player good enough to make the quarter-finals a year ago.
Nick Kyrgios has announced that he is fit to play at Wimbledon despite a knee problem
The Australian said he had “worked extremely hard” to prepare for Wimbledon
It was in the same arena, during the middle Saturday of 2022, that he played arguably the most dramatic match of the entire season, knocking out Stefanos Tsitsipas.
His full repertoire was on display: stunning shots, bureaucratic outbursts, his support box and his opponent, who was driven to such a distraction that he was lucky enough to avoid a default after throwing a ball into the audience.
In retrospect, Tsitsipas labeled Kyrgios a bully with “a very evil side”, although the Greek recently apologized for those comments. The boyish and more phlegmatic Goffin probably won’t get so angry, but you never know.
The difference is that the Australian saw himself as a real contender for the title last year as he was in the shape of his life. Twelve months after making the second week would be an achievement.
Another ingredient is that more people will have seen the subsequent Netflix series, in which Kyrgios spoke openly about his mental health problems over the years. That included the revelation that in 2019 he spent time in a psychiatric ward at a London hospital following the defeat at SW19, with suicidal thoughts.
“It took me seven, eight years to just be open about that. I kept it very close to the chest for a long time,” he said yesterday.
‘But I think it’s important. I think a lot of athletes go through that, I feel like it’s a little bit better now. Men, in particular, felt that it was rather difficult to open up, to admit that they were struggling.
“I feel very different from how I clearly felt during that period in 2019, I think I feel great now.”
Kyrgios lost in the final in four sets to Novak Djokovic (left) at Wimbledon last year
Monday’s game is arguably the best of opening day, and the attention paid to last year’s defeated finalist is such that security will be extra tight.
“I never really felt unsafe there,” he said.
“I feel like my matches are definitely some of the matches where things can get pretty loose. Something like that might happen in one of my matches, because the stadiums are full, many people are noisy.’
A lot will depend on which Kyrgios shows up, and there’s not much to it. He made his comeback on grass in Germany immediately after the French Open, then withdrew from two more events before that because he felt his knee wasn’t quite ready.
“I played in Stuttgart a few weeks ago. I lost, and the criticism was huge. My first game back, it was hard just being the same player I was.
“I’ve been trying to kind of mimic what kind of load I’m going to get. That is of course not possible with a Grand Slam. Last year I played the first round against Paul Jubb, which lasted four hours.
“Looking at my preparations last year, I probably had the most ideal preparation possible. This year is no different.
Kyrgios admitted unlikely to repeat his 12-month exploits at Wimbledon
‘I worked very hard. I’ve tried to do everything possible. I’ve been really disciplined (with rehab) during that time. I barely missed any of the process.
“Last year I felt like everything came together for me. Wimbledon final, had the third best season (of anyone) on tour. It was clear that my body was just screaming for some sort of rest.
“It’s been brutal. In a way it was good to be home. Of course also heartbreaking.’
How heartbreaking, he couldn’t be so sure.