Australian tennis superstar Nick Kyrgios has finally announced his long-awaited return to the court, agreeing to compete at the UTS tournament in New York in August of this year.
After a persistent injury forced Nick Kyrgios to withdraw from nearly every major Grand Slam tournament in 2023, the former Wimbledon finalist made the shocking announcement that he may never return to the sport. Although he later backtracked on his comments, tennis fans in Australia and overseas have been tentatively waiting for announcements regarding the former Wimbledon finalist’s future.
During his recovery away from the court, Kyrgios has seemingly enjoyed himself as he carved out a new career on the sidelines; both as a commentator during the first Gland Slam of 2024, the Australian Open; and in a coaching capacity, overseeing Frances Tiafoe during the Ulta Tennis Showdown (UTS) in Los Angeles last year… but his latest announcement could finally put retirement rumours to bed.
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Nick Kyrgios has confirmed that he will compete at UTS New York later this year, returning to the court for the first time in almost a year.
The Australian star, who is still recovering from a wrist injury sustained during the Mallorca Open in 2023, has called the competition “the future” of tennis and is keen to link up alongside Australian Open quarter-finalist Andrey Rublev, former World No. 2 Caspar Ruud and Australia’s own Alex de Minaur.
“I’m box office. Simple as that.”
Nick Kyrgios
“For me it’s the energy, the music and the culture,” Kyrgios confirmed to UTS. “That brings out the best in me. It’s much more like basketball than tennis. UTS is the future for sure. Unbelievable experience in LA. Patrick has it down.”
UTS New York will be held over two days in on 22 – 23 August 2024. The tournament will see four quarter-final bouts on the first day, with two semi-final match-ups and the final held on the second day. Each player will play a mininum of two matches across the two days.
It’s certainly different to the regular ATP scheduling, but adds some “box office” quality to an emerging new tennis format.