“Can’t be prouder of myself and my team” – King Kyrgios on his performance at UTS New York

The Australian won his opening match at UTS New York in impressive fashion

Nick Kyrgios, UTS New York 2024 (Image Credit: Tennis Majors)

August 23, 2024

Former Wimbledon runner-up Nick ‘King’ Kyrgios has said he is extremely proud of himself and his team after returning to singles action for the first time since Halle last year at UTS New York.

The Australian has played only one singles match in the past 20 months, due to injuries, but that did not stop him from beating Casper ‘The Iceman’ Ruud three quarters to love in UTS quarter-final action on Thursday. The 29-year-old later told the media how good it felt to be back competing against some of the top players in the world.

“Honestly, it was an amazing feeling just being back out there. It’s been a long journey, really, honestly can’t be prouder of myself and my team,” Kyrgios said.

“You know, the work we’ve done to get back and play someone like Casper (Ruud). It wasn’t easy, but it felt good to be back out there in front of the fans and, and I can still deliver some decent tennis.”

If I can find a way to continue to play matches and, and play tournaments, I’ll be back very soon.
Nick Kyrgios on returning to the tour

Kyrgios added that he felt great relief after the match because his doctors had previously not been very optimistic about his chances to return to the sport, due to his recent injury history.

“Just relief, honestly, you know, the surgeon said when I’d finished that I could maybe open a jar of something or twist the doorknob without pain and to be able to play tennis at this level and still play like this, is pretty crazy.”

Kyrgios, who had earlier in the day said he would like to target a return in time for the Australian summer in January, was still cautious after his big win, saying he needed to see how the wrist would feel tomorrow.

“We’ll see tomorrow obviously how, how my wrist recovers. The level is still there. If I can find a way to continue to play matches and, and play tournaments, I’ll be back very soon.”

Wrist not quite there yet

Unfortunately, Friday morning brought the news that Kyrgios would be withdrawing from UTS New York.

“Unfortunately, I woke up with a stiff wrist and I have to follow advice from my physio, I’m at the later stages of my rehab and have to take it slow to make sure I don’t have any set backs,” Kyrgios said on Friday.

“I loved being back on court, and there was no better place to start my return than at UTS New York. It felt great to play in a competitive atmosphere again, and feel the love from the UTS fans!”

Kyrgios also said that he is “so close to returning to the Tour” and is still optimistic about his future prospects despite the setback.