Nick Kyrgios is slated to join the BBC’s line-up for Wimbledon this summer. The 2022 runner-up is currently sidelined with injuries and has played just one match in the last 18 months.
During his injury layoff, the Australian has taken on several new roles in broadcast and commentated on the Australian Open at the start of the season. He will be turning his hand to punditry again for the BBC as uncertainties remain over his comeback to professional tennis.
It comes after Sue Barker stepped down from fronting the broadcaster’s coverage of Wimbledon after the 2022 edition of The Championships. She was replaced by Clare Balding last year.
Kyrgios has previously shared his hopes of making a comeback during the grass swing. But his new role with the BBC indicates that he may not be ready to return to competition at Wimbledon this summer.
The 29-year-old could be back in action after his new stint with the BBC as he is part of the line-up for the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in August, which is being staged in New York ahead of the US Open. Kyrgios has been plagued by injuries since enjoying a career-best season in 2022, which saw him reach the Wimbledon final before losing to Novak Djokovic.
The Australian pulled out of his quarter-final match at the Tokyo ATP 500 in October 2022 and has played just one singles match since then, returning in Stuttgart last summer and losing in the first round. He then headed to the All England Club but pulled out on the eve of Wimbledon.
After undergoing surgeries for his wrist and knee, Kyrgios has since gone into broadcasting, joining Tennis Channel for their studio coverage of the ATP Finals at the end of 2023 before getting in the comms box for Eurosport at the Australian Open. He also presents the Good Trouble podcast, interviewing guests including Gordon Ramsey, Mike Tyson and Djokovic.
The experience will serve him well in his new role with the BBC, where licence payers will get a unique insight from the man who made the final just two years ago. Wimbledon has always been a significant part of Kyrgios’ career, as he burst onto the scene at SW19 as a teenager.
At 19, Kyrgios stunned then-world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the fourth round back in 2014. As a wildcard ranked at No. 144, he reached the quarter-final by upsetting the Spaniard 7-6(5) 5-7 7-6(5) 6-3.
He came close to lifting the title in 2022 when he took the first set off of Djokovic in the final before losing in four. Kyrgios is still hopeful that he can lift a Grand Slam singles title after his experience at Wimbledon.
“I was so close to winning a Grand Slam. I want to make sure that my body is going to have the time it needs to come back, so please bear with me,” he said earlier this year.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk