'He loves playing in Australia.'
Australian Open chief Craig Tiley said on Thursday he expects to see Australian former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios back in action at Melbourne Park for the season-opening Grand Slam in January.
Kyrgios pulled out of this year's Australian Open and has played just one singles tour match in the last two years as he battled knee, foot and wrist injuries.
In his long absence from court, Kyrgios has done television and broadcasting work but recent messages posted on social media suggest he will be looking to resume his playing career towards the end of the year.
"Nick will be back," Tiley told Australia's Channel Nine TV on Thursday as he promoted the tournament he has run for the best part of two decades.
"We know he's out there practising and preparing for the summer. He loves playing in Australia. We expect to see him back and we know he's on track with that preparation."
The talented 29-year-old has always been a major draw at the Australian Open and attracted vociferous support from his compatriots, even if he only once reached the quarter-final stage back in 2015.
Kyrgios reached the second round on his last singles appearance at Melbourne Park in 2022, losing in four sets to eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev.
He followed that with a run to the final at Wimbledon and the quarter-finals at the US Open before the rash of injuries started taking their toll.
Tiley said last year he expected Kyrgios to return for this year's Australian Open and added a codicil on Thursday when pressed whether he was certain the former world number 13 would be in action when the Grand Slam gets underway on Jan. 12.
"A lot can play out in the next couple of months, but we look forward to seeing Nick back," he said.
