Nick Kyrgios is set to make his long-awaited return to tennis after playing just one match in the last two years.

The 29-year-old had a career-best summer in 2022 as he reached the Wimbledon final, won singles and doubles titles in Washington DC, and made the US Open quarters.

But since the 2022 US Open, he has played as many singles matches as he has undergone surgery (three).

It has looked in doubt at times whether he would return to the court, but all looks on track for Kyrgios to be back on court ahead of the 2025 Australian Open.

The exhibition event is played across four days from December 19 to 22 in Abu Dhabi.

Four of the top six players on the WTA Tour – Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini – are competing, along with Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.

Men’s world No. 4 Taylor Fritz is in action along with Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Kyrgios.

Kyrgios is on the Kites team with Paolini, Casper Ruud and Krejcikova.

From Abu Dhabi, Kyrgios will return Down Under to prepare for the Australian swing.

Kyrgios will play his first competitive tournament in 18 months at the Brisbane International.

The tournament runs from December 29 until January 5 and will also feature Novak Djokovic.

Kyrgios’ best run at his home Grand Slam was in 2015 when he reached the quarter-finals. He hasn’t been past the fourth round since but did win the doubles with Thanasi Kokkinakis in 2022.

Kyrgios will team up again with Kokkinakis in the Australian Open doubles as they look to repeat their 2022 glory at the Grand Slam.

“Everyone loved it last time, we loved it, it was so much fun,” said Kokkinakis.

“It’s definitely not going to be the priority for us [but] we feel like we owe it to people to get back out there and have some fun. It’s not something we’ve practised, but singles is definitely the goal.

“If you have a big five-setter, with all due respect, the last thing you want to do is go out and play doubles the next day, but we’ll play it by ear and see how it goes.”

Kyrgios has not played a competitive match since the Stuttgart Open in June 2023.

He has said that he still has the ambition to win a Grand Slam title.

“I played that amazing year in 2022. Then at the finals in Wimbledon and US Open, that’s when I started feeling some issues in my wrist. I had that wrist reconstruction and now I’m feeling amazing. 

“It was a 15 miracle per cent chance that I was going to get back to playing at this level and here we are. To get back out there in front of the home fans is going to be sick.”

He added: “I am coming back because something is keeping me around the game.

“I have beaten pretty much every person that has been put in front of me, made a final of a Grand Slam, won a doubles title in a Grand Slam, won multiple titles and made money. 

“But I think the one thing that is now on my target is a Grand Slam. I think that will be the only thing that will shut people up at the end of the day. That will be my deep motivation.”

For the second year in a row there will be a Sunday start at the Australian Open.

The Grand Slam will get underway on Sunday, January 12 and will run until Sunday, January 26, with the first round now stretched across three days.