Nick Kyrgios has described Alexander Zverev’s return to the top of men’s tennis following a serious injury as something that will help inspire his comeback.
Zverev missed six months of the Tour in 2022 after sustaining an ankle injury during his semi-final match against Rafael Nadal at the French Open. As a result, the German fell outside the top 10 and was ranked as low as 27th in the world in May. However, a strong second half of the 2023 season saw Zverev clinch titles in Hamburg and Chengdu, as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open. The success has elevated him back to seventh in the world which has secured his place in this week’s ATP Finals.
“With Zverev, he’s an incredibly hard worker. That’s his reputation,” Kyrgios said of Zverev on The Tennis channel.
“He ticks all the boxes and, if someone like that can come back from an injury like that, I think that’s what I have to draw inspiration from for sure.”
Kyrgios is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his peer by also staging a successful return in the coming months. The Australian has only played one match this season which was on grass at the Stuttgart Open. He underwent knee surgery in January and then tore a ligament in his wrist during the summer.
Despite those setbacks, Kyrgios says he is eager to play tennis once again but is yet to confirm when or where his comeback on the Tour will begin.
“After last year, I had such a great year, and I’m so hungry to get back out there,” the 2022 Wimbledon finalist commented.
“So I’m doing everything I can to get back out there. Obviously, you know how injuries are every day, just doing the rehab, doing the gym work.”
This week the 28-year-old is making his debut as a pundit on the Tennis Channel by commentating on the Tour Finals. 12 months ago he played in the doubles event at the tournament alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis.
“I love watching tennis. I feel like I’m a bit of a student of a game,” Kyrgios said. “I watch my own film, I have my own tactics … I’ve played these guys a lot, and I know what they’re going to be doing under pressure. I know how to have success, and equally, what their strengths are.
“Your whole year is work going into it, so I think there’s added pressure, and you want to finish off the year in good style. All these guys have had probably the best seasons in the world, and they want to go out with a bang.”
Kyrgios has been ranked as high as 13th in the world and has won seven ATP titles so far in his career.
