Star Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has received an unexpected call-up for Australia’s Davis Cup clash against Sweden.
Kyrgios, who has struggled with injuries in the recent past, was selected by captain Lleyton Hewitt for the clash, which is scheduled to take place at the end of January.
The 29-year-old was selected alongside world number eight Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Australian line-up for the clash in Stockholm on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Kyrgios has been picked despite struggling for fitness since 2022 due to knee, foot and wrist injuries.
Kyrgios spoke about his injury issues ahead of the Australian Open and said that he needs a miracle to have his wrist in full fitness for the first Grand Slam of the year. The tournament begins on January 15 with the men’s final scheduled on January 26.
Kyrgios’ inclusion in the Davis Cup squad could see him rekindle his doubles partnership with Kokkinakis, with whom he won the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open three years ago. He last played in the Davis Cup in November 2019 and reached the final of Wimbledon in 2022, when he lost in four sets to Novak Djokovic.
Recently, Nick Kyrgios returned to court in the men’s doubles alongside Novak Djokovic. The duo played in the Brisbane International where they beat Austria’s Alexander Erler and Germany’s Andreas Mies. Their journey as a doubles pair ended with a 6-2 3-6 10-8 defeat by top seeds Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus, who advanced to the quarter-finals.
Kyrgios played in the singles campaign in the tournament as well. Playing his first tournament since a wrist surgery in September 2023, was beaten by Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a battle of big servers.