Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios says he has the London Grand Slam "circled" as he plots his return from a series of injuries which restricted him to one match in 2023 and caused him to pull out of his home major in Melbourne this month.
A men's doubles champion with Thanasi Kokkinakis at the 2022 Australian Open, Kyrgios withdrew from last year's tournament before having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, only for a torn ligament in his right wrist to keep him out of Wimbledon following his return in June in Stuttgart.
"I've had a bit of surgery on my right wrist," said Kyrgios, speaking to Eurosport as part of the former world No. 13's punditry role at the Australian Open.
"I was just riddled with injuries last year. It's been so hard. It's been a day-by-day process, just trying to trust the process and let my body recover. I'm listening to my body. Wimbledon's always circled on my calendar."
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Kyrgios had the best year of his career so far in 2022, losing to Novak Djokovic at SW19 in his first Grand Slam final and reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open – the only occasions on which he has gone beyond the fourth round at majors since the 2015 Australian Open.
An injury to Rafael Nadal sent Kyrgios through to the Wimbledon final with a bye and the 28-year-old says the 2022 Australian Open champion's withdrawal from Melbourne has served as a warning.
Nadal was desperate to make his own return from a long-term injury absence at the tournament but sustained a leg injury days earlier during a comeback at the Brisbane International.
"It was absolutely heartbreaking after that year I had," Kyrgios said of his past 12 months. "I just don't want to rush back. What happened to Rafael Nadal... having that year off, working so hard and just coming back too soon and re-aggravating something and taking more time out.
"Rehab is not a fun place to be for an athlete. I want to be out there giving the world some entertainment."
When he announced his withdrawal from the Australian Open on subscription site OnlyFans, Kyrgios said his own attempt to return from knee surgery had come "a little too soon and set me back a little bit."
He has until March 2024 to use his protected ranking of 21 and his past performances mean he is likely to receive wildcard entries for Grand Slam tournaments even if he tumbles down the standings.
Kyrgios' comments came while he was analysing unseeded compatriot Alexei Popyrin's respectable showing against Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena, taking a set off the reigning champion and top seed on his way to a four-set defeat in his second match.
Tenth seed and world No. 12 Alex de Minaur reached the third round of the men's singles, while Kokkinakis and Max Purcell are the remaining Australian hopefuls in the second round.