Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has been confirmed to play his first Grand Slam since 2022 at next month’s Australian Open.

Kyrgios, who will play with a protected ranking of 21, will be one of six men and six women using protected rankings at Melbourne Park as he prepares to return from almost two full years on the sidelines due to knee, foot and wrist injuries.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up will play in Abu Dhabi at the new World Tennis League exhibition event in two weeks’ time before his comeback picks up speed at the Brisbane International.

Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic will also make a comeback at the tournament after the birth of her daughter Bella in April.

Former world No 4 Kei Nishikori will also play with a protected ranking, making his first appearance in the Australian Open men’s singles since 2021.

There are six British players on the entry list, including Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie, Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartel and Jodie Burrage, who is using a protected ranking of 85, after returning from wrist and ankle injuries.

Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, who are at the top of the men’s and women’s rankings, will be the top seeds at Melbourne Park, with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic eyeing a record 11th Australian Open title alongside his new coach Andy Murray.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, Djokovic explained why he chose Murray to guide him in the final stages of his career.

We were going through different names and I realised the perfect coach for me at this point would be someone that has been through the experiences that I’m going through, possible multiple Grand Slam winner, former No 1.

“I was thinking about different people and then an Andy Murray discussion appeared on the table with me and my team. It was still a shock decision,” Djokovic explained.

“It caught him a little bit off-guard as well because he wasn’t expecting it, so we connected really fast and he accepted after a few days.

“I couldn’t be more excited about it. This collaboration is a surprise to me as well, to everyone.

“But it’s exciting for tennis. He’s been one of my greatest rivals. We’re the same age. We’ve played in all the biggest stadiums in our sport. So I can’t wait to get out on the court and prepare for next season.”

Scot Jacob Fearnley, who surged into the top 100 after leaving US college last spring, is currently first alternate but should make it into the main draw through a withdrawal.

Harriet Dart, ranked 102, also has a good chance of taking a similar route and avoiding qualifying, where Dan Evans, Heather Watson, Francesca Jones and Billy Harris will try to battle through three rounds.

The cut-off for main draw qualification was at world No 98 for both the men and women, with eight wildcard spots in each draw and a further 16 to be filled by qualifiers.

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