- Wally Masur wants to see a fit and firing Nick Kyrgios
- Kyrgios, 28, has played just one match in 2023 due to injury
- Masur believes Kyrgios is good enough to win Grand Slams
Aussie tennis great Wally Masur believes injured star Nick Kyrgios is ‘crucial’ to the sport and hopes the former Wimbledon finalist can return to the court with the window still open for Grand Slam success.
Kyrgios has played just one match in 2023 after knee surgery ruled him out of the Australian Open and then a wrist injury derailed plans of a Wimbledon return where he pushed Novak Djokovic to four sets in last year’s final.
It comes as the tennis landscape is changing, with the sport’s ‘big four’ no longer dominating every event.
That means players like Kyrgios compete for majors if he can return to his best.
While world No.1 Novak Djokovic is coming off an absurd season, winning 27 of his 28 Grand Slam matches, Swiss legend Roger Federer has retired, and veterans Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have had to contend with major injuries over the past few years.
It’s why Masur says the door is open for Kyrgios, 28, to come back and dominate on the back of his imposing serve.
Aussie tennis great Wally Masur believes injured star Nick Kyrgios is crucial to the sport and hopes the former Wimbledon finalist can return to the court and contest for Grand Slams
Kyrgios, 28, has played just one match this season on the ATP circuit due to injury (pictured, after knee surgery)
The biggest issue is getting back on the court, with Kyrgios dropping out of the ATP rankings having played just one match this year in Stuttgart, back in June.
‘I honestly don’t know (what his plans are). I’ve heard that he’s been training and doing rehab in Canberra,’ the former Australian Davis Cup captain said at the draw announcement for the United Cup in Sydney.
‘Roger [Federer] has retired, Rafa [Nadal] is a little busted and Andy [Murray] is playing with one hip, so the big four have been pretty much dismantled, although Novak [Djokovic] is obviously still there, so there are opportunities [for Kyrgios to come back and win big events].
‘I thought it might have been the next group of Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, but Carlos Alcaraz has been the one who has busted through and emerged.
‘Can Nick come back and play a part in all this? Absolutely, because anyone who serves like he does is always competitive. He might even have the best serve in the game right now.
‘Can he do it? Yes, but it probably comes down to motivation and making sure his body doesn’t let him down.
‘He’s pretty crucial for Australian and world tennis, so it would be good to have him back.’
Fellow Aussie tennis great Mark Philippoussis says Kyrgios needs to work hard on his rehab after surgery
Two-time Grand Slam finalist Mark Philippoussis would love to see Kyrgios dominating the ATP tour, but says the Aussie ace must first put all his time and energy into getting his body right.
There are positive signs of that happening, with Kyrgios posting photos on social media of him warming up strongly on court.
‘As soon as I heard he was having knee surgery, I thought this was going to be tough for him because you need to be in a certain shape before you go into surgery which changes everything in terms of rehab,’ he said.
‘After surgery, you need to be putting in the rehab work.
‘I don’t know what he does off the court, and I think a lot of people have questioned his commitment as far as his training in the gym and on the practice court.
‘It doesn’t matter how talented you are, when you have that first surgery – especially being a big guy – if you’re not doing the right things, then it’s tough.
‘You need to work twice as hard, and if you don’t do that, it could be an avalanche effect.’
