BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Nick Kyrgios has announced he will make a return to competitive tennis at the Brisbane International starting Dec. 29 after playing just one ATP Tour match in more than two years.

Kyrgios, 29, was mostly ostracized with career-threatening wrist and knee injuries since the 2022 US Open quarterfinals.

That run came six weeks after he reached the Wimbledon final, when he came closest to winning a Grand Slam singles championship before losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic.

Also declaring his intention to compete in the 2025 Australian Open in Melbourne, Kyrgios said he plans to compete in the World Tennis League exhibition event in Abu Dhabi from December 19-22, the mixed team event also attracting players such as Iga Swiatek, Casper Ruud, Aryna Sabalenka, Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev.

Kyrgios withdrew from the 2023 Australian Open late due to a knee injury that required surgery, before having to withdraw from the French Open later that year due to a foot problem.

Winner of seven ATP Tour titles, Kyrgios then tore a wrist ligament which also required surgery during his final tour match, a short-lived return to grass in Stuttgart in June 2023.

Currently unranked, the former 13th ranked player said he was excited to resume his career in front of his home fans.

“Honestly, it’s probably the best I’ve felt in two years,” he told a Melbourne television station on Friday. “I played this incredible year in 2022. Then during the Wimbledon finals and the US Open, that’s when I started feeling problems with my wrist. I had wrist reconstruction and now I feel amazing.

___

AP Tennis: