Persistent swelling in his right knee had prevented him from practising for more than half an hour, he said, before sudden improvement in September convinced him to take aim at another Australian Open despite fearing he had played at Melbourne Park for the last time.
Open boss Craig Tiley has spoken with Kyrgios about giving him a wildcard, but Kyrgios wants to see how his body handles playing at this weekโs Brisbane International, where he starts against American Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Kyrgios will also play doubles with close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis, who is on the comeback trail, himself, from major pectoral surgery in February last year.
Kyrgios is adamant he has nothing to prove โ and took umbrage to a question in his pre-tournament media conference in Brisbane suggesting he actually might โ but told this masthead there were several factors in whether he would play in Melbourne.
โThis is a great test,โ he said. โThe last month has been pretty full on, travel-wise, and Iโve barely spent time at home. Iโm on the plane, Iโve been training, and Iโve been playing.
โWe [Tiley and him] had a call, and I said, โLook, if Iโm able to get through Brisbane and feel pretty solid about my performance and my body, then, yeah, Iโm happy to tag onโ.
โBut it comes from me lowering my ego and saying, โI was once someone who played a final of a grand slamโ … I was so close to achieving something that Iโd worked my entire life for. But Iโm just taking this week first, and seeing how it goes.โ
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Something else Kyrgios is wary about is taking the spot of a younger countryman who might need the wildcard more than he does as a career jolt.
He remembers how a John Millman injury opened the door for him to make his grand-slam debut as a wildcard at Roland-Garros 12 years ago. But Kyrgios said the crowds he played in front of recently were evidence that people still wanted to see him play.
โThere are days when I look at myself in the mirror, and Iโm like, โDo I really want to go out there and train, or put myself in that pressure situation again?โ I mean, I think we all have that conversation,โ he said.
โIโm never going to play a full schedule again, thatโs for sure. But anytime thereโs a tournament in your backyard, youโve got to try and take that opportunity, I think.โ
