Kyrgios to make return at Brisbane International
Nick Kyrgios is to play his first competitive match in two years when he takes part in the Brisbane International in December.
Nick Kyrgios is to play his first competitive match in two years when he takes part in the Brisbane International in December.
In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport, Billie Jean King talks tennis format changes, Saudi Arabia and Britain’s Emma Raducanu.
Nick Kyrgios will make his long-awaited return to ATP Tour action next month at the Brisbane International presented by Evie, to be held from 29 December to 5 January 2025.
The 29-year-old has been hampered by wrist and foot injuries that have kept him sidelined for almost two years, having last contested a tour-level match at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart in June 2023.
Welcome BACK, @NickKyrgios 🍿 🍿 🍿#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/RpUEmzfsIG
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) November 15, 2024
Kyrgios, the former No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has fond memories of playing at the ATP 250 in Brisbane. In 2018, on his main-draw debut at the event, Kyrgios swept through the field to clinch his fourth tour-level title.
Now, after a gruelling injury hiatus, the seven-time ATP Tour titlist and Wimbledon finalist will return to Brisbane with his sights set on reigniting the form that propelled him to stardom earlier in his career.
World No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov is back to defend his title, along with Holger Rune and Frances Tiafoe, who will begin their 2025 campaigns in Brisbane. WTA Year-End No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will lead the women’s event.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Slovakia reach the last eight of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals with a 2-1 victory over 18-time champions the United States.
Whether things go to plan or don’t go to plan, Daniil Medvedev rarely minces his words when it comes to honest self-assessment.
The 28-year-old was in a typically philosophical mood on Thursday night in Turin, where his season ended with a straight-sets defeat to Jannik Sinner at the Nitto ATP Finals. Despite a group-stage elimination at the prestigious season finale to confirm his first season without a tour-level trophy since 2017, Medvedev identified plenty of positives to balance out his 2024 disappointments.
“Probably I will finish No. 4 in the world, unless Taylor [Fritz] pulls a big upset, which is amazing,” said Medvedev in his post-match press conference. “[I don’t] need to say it. It’s amazing. In the sport that is that demanding, with so many players, I want to be No. 1 in the world, but I didn’t play well enough this year, by far, to be No. 1 in the world. Jannik is playing much better. He proved it many times.
“But I’m No. 4 in the big tennis world. I’m super proud about that because I struggled throughout the whole year. Every practice, every match was a struggle for me. A lot of matches. Before I would feel I had the edge on the opponent and win it easy. Now I needed to win three sets, tie-breaks, breaks in the end of the set, et cetera.
“I would [rate my season] somewhere around six and a half out of 10, which means a lot of work to do to be better, but still a lot of good memories also. I’m looking forward for next season already.”
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Aside from when he put together a three-game streak in the second set of his Ilie Nastase Group match against Sinner in Turin, Medvedev struggled to assert himself against the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Again, the 20-time tour-level champion was happy to put his difficulties against the Italian into perspective.
“Jannik plays good. He’s in full confidence right now,” reflected Medvedev. “I watched his practice before the match. He barely misses a shot and he hits strong. Many times, a lot of players that don’t miss a lot, at least they don’t hit strong. He can hit strong, very strong, probably one of maybe top three, four, five hitters on Tour, and doesn’t miss.
“It is tough to play him. He puts you under pressure. You have to deal with it. In a way I didn’t deal with it well enough. I missed some shots in some important moments. He won the match. Basically, kind of easy as that.”
Thursday’s defeat in Turin was Medvedev’s fifth in six meetings this year with Sinner, who now leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 8-7. The Italian has prevailed in one final (at the Australian Open), one semi-final (Miami) and two quarter-finals (at the US Open and in Shanghai), making him a major culprit when it comes to explaining Medvedev’s trophyless 2024.
“Look, he’s barely losing this year,” said Medvedev of Sinner. “If you want to win a title, you will face him at one moment. It’s not easy to beat him. A lot of people try. A lot of people fail. There is mostly one guy who does it a little bit more times than the others, and it’s Carlos [Alcaraz]. He’s a very, very strong opponent.
“He’s maybe one of the best players I have faced. I faced the Big Four a little bit when they were a little bit older, and maybe [their] speed was not the same. I’m going to try to work in pre-season. Maybe at one point he loses his confidence, starts to miss some balls. Otherwise, everyone, not only me, is in for very, very tough years ahead of us because he’s very young.”
[ATP APP]Renowned for his defensive skills and refusal to lie down in extended rallies, Medvedev has never been shy of hard graft. The former World No. 1 is ready to get back to work in the offseason as he seeks greater success against his closest rivals on Tour.
“In the preparation, for sure we’re going to try to I think really build something a little bit new,” said Medvedev. “I see right now that it’s not good enough, especially against guys like Jannik and Carlos. I’m not sure I will be able to become better, but I will try. I will try to become better in some parts.
“I feel like if we talk purely tactic, I feel like I played fine. It’s just execution. You need to not miss, go, go, go for it. I didn’t manage to do it. That’s what we’re going to work a lot in pre-season, to build a little bit better version of myself, which is not easy when you’re 28 years old.
“About titles… I’m not that concerned. As I say, every tournament is tough to win… Of course, I want to win Masters and Grand Slams more than other tournaments. But maybe go to another tournament and win it. You never know. In general, I had some very good runs and some very bad tournaments, so it’s okay for me.”
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Nitto ATP Finals competitors will return to Turin’s Inalpi Arena on Friday for another taste of the action at the prestigious season finale.
Here is the schedule for Friday at the Nitto ATP Finals.
[ATP AWARDS]
ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2024
CENTRE COURT start 11:30 am
[8] Kevin Krawietz (GER) / Tim Puetz (GER) vs [6] Rohan Bopanna (IND) / Matthew Ebden (AUS)
Not Before 2:00 pm
[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs [3] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
Not Before 6:00 pm
[4] Simone Bolelli (ITA) / Andrea Vavassori (ITA) vs [1] Marcelo Arevalo (ESA) / Mate Pavic (CRO)
Not Before 8:30 pm
[6] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs 8] Andrey Rublev
Read More: What are the Nitto ATP Finals qualification scenarios?
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Emma Raducanu is expected to play for Great Britain in their Billie Jean King Cup tie against Germany on Friday.
Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson cut through some nailbiting tie-break tension to clinch a Nitto ATP Finals semi-final spot on Thursday evening.
The Australian pair dug deep for a 7-6(14), 6-3 triumph against second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in Turin. Needing to win just one set to ensure their spot in the last four, Purcell and Thompson held firm in a thrilling first-set tie-break, during which they fended off four set points before converting their sixth. They then rode that momentum to an early 3-0 lead in the second set en route to completing a 97-minute victory.
As a result of their win, the fifth-seeded Purcell and Thompson finished second with a 2-1 record in Mike Bryan group and joined fellow event debutants Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten in advancing to the semi-finals. They are the first all-Australian team to reach the last four at the Nitto ATP Finals since legendary pair Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in 1999.
Granollers and Zeballos made the worst possible start in their bid to secure the straight-sets win they needed for a semi-final berth. They dropped serve in the opening game of the match, but later fought back admirably from 2-4 to force a tie-break, in which they also fell 2/4 behind early.
The Spanish-Argentine duo again rallied and went on to save five set points in what became a marathon tie-break, but they were left to rue their inability to convert any of their own four opportunities to clinch the set and ramp up the pressure on their opponents.
After finally clinching a 64-minute opening set, Purcell and Thompson were able to relax into their work in the second. They broke to love in the second game en route to sealing a win in which they won 83 per cent (39/47) of points behind first serves, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
More to follow…
Taylor Fritz boosts his hopes of reaching the last four of the ATP Finals with a comeback victory against Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
A trademark Daniil Medvedev backhand down-the-line winner, but with a difference!
The World No. 4’s classy groundstroke against Alex de Minaur in Turin has been reimagined as Tuesday’s AR Immersive Hot Shot. To help attract a younger audience and bring ATP tennis into people’s lives in a new and innovative way, Nitto ATP Finals Immersive Highlights use cutting edge AR technology, 3D modelling and live data to produce tennis moments like never before.
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