Novak Djokovic gave a nod of acknowledgment to the supreme talent of his hitting partner as another backhand return whizzed past him on the training courts at Wimbledon six weeks ago.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion was in good spirits as he worked on his serve-and-volley a day after Australian Alex de Minaur had given him a walkover into the semifinals.

The Serbian, who claimed the last major crown to elude him with a magnificent performance in the Olympics at Roland Garros, laughed again as another winner zipped beyond him on the following point.

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“I’m lucky HE is not playing in this Wimbledon,” Djokovic said to the crowd watching the session at Aorangi Park, the All England Club’s practice club, as he walked back to the baseline, a broad smile on his face.

The ‘HE’ that the 37-year-old, who was ultimately denied by Carlos Alcaraz for the second year in succession at Wimbledon, was referring to is Nick Kyrgios, the most recent Wimbledon finalist aside from Djokovic and the Spanish sensation.

In 2022, the Australian was within range of pushing Djokovic to a fifth set in a captivating final at Wimbledon resplendent for the brilliant shot-making of the one-time frosty rivals who are now buddies.

Djokovic eventually claimed his first win against the Canberran from three outings 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (3) and went on to win another three grand slam titles in 2023 before his recent Olympic success.

Since that clash, the all-time legend has won 104 of the 120 matches he has played. His confidence rising as he matured as a player, Kyrgios reeled off wins in 16 of his next 19 matches. There seemed little question he had finally arrived as a grand slam force.

THE SPLIT-STEP THAT PROVED A MISSTEP

Djokovic arrives at Flushing Meadows this week with the knowledge his resume is now complete after his Olympics success as he bids for a historic 25th grand slam title that would take him beyond Australia’s Margaret Court.

Kyrgios, too, will be on the court this week in New York, but arrives with far less certainty or conviction as to whether the tennis court is the stage where he will be able to best deploy his talents from now on.

Much has changed in the two years since the seven-time ATP Tour title holders last visit to the Big Apple.

With Djokovic absent because of COVID-19 regulations, Roger Federer retired and Rafael Nadal upset by Frances Tiafoe, the Australian was the 2022 US Open favourite for a period.

Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were still in the tournament but had yet to confirm their greatness. It was seen as his golden opportunity.

But after outplaying defending US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in convincing fashion in the 4th Rd, Kyrgios was edged in five sets in the quarterfinals by the tough Russian Karen Khachanov in a tournament where Alcaraz clinched his maiden grand slam title.

In his press conference after the match, he alluded to feeling some pain in his knee that, at the time, was an admission that did not seem too significant, though he conceded to feeling “devastated” and “heartbroken” at the chance that had gone begging.

“I just split-stepped and just tweaked it a little bit. (It) ended up feeling fine. I got some Deep Heat on it. Everyone is carrying a bit of a niggle right now. (It is) nothing major,” he said.

After two wins in the Japan Open a month later, he gave a forfeit to Taylor Fritz and has played only one match since due to serious knee and wrist injuries. He is now unranked.

Djokovic, admittedly, liked what he had seen from a man who was once a thorn in his side during their low-pressure sessions at Wimbledon ahead of a return to the court that is off-Broadway compared to the main stages he was gracing two years ago.

“He’s so talented. He’s so good with his tennis,” he said.

“I think he said that the wrist bothers him mostly with his the serve, but he has been increasing the load and the intensity and the speed. He’s very positive.”

UNCONVENTIONAL FORMAT FOR STEP INTO THE UNKNOWN

Not for the first time, Kyrgios is the source of conjecture heading into a grand slam.

The query ahead of this US Open — where he will not play singkes — is whether he will be able to return to the tour at all, let alone his peak, with his foray into a couple of exhibition appearances ahead of the last grand slam for the year another step towards an answer to that question.

The Australian will partner four-time major winner Naomi Osaka in a US Open event dubbed Mixed Madness on Tuesday night and then compete in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown at Forest Hills, a former home of the American grand slam, which also features de Minaur.

During his training sessions with Djokovic at Wimbledon, the 29-year-old timed the ball sweetly, but the intensity of the time they spent on court was well below a tour match.

He was acting as the practice partner. Djokovic would ask him to focus on a certain area, be it via his serve or when returning, and Kyrgios would comply. It was not match simulation.

Kyrgios said at Wimbledon he was hopeful of easing back on to the circuit with a couple of outings in doubles at ATP Tour level in August but clearly decided he needed more time.

The UTS event, in which he will play three-time major finalist Casper Ruud, will provide more of an indication than the mixed doubles outing on Tuesday as to his level of fitness and capabilities.

The brainchild of Patrick Mouratoglou – the former coach of Serena Williams – and Alex Popyrin, the father of Australia’s recent Montreal Masters winner Alexei, it is more fast-paced than proper matches, with outings compressed into quarters using a different scoring format.

The calibre of the field suggests it is seen as a valuable preparation for the major. Along with de Minaur, who played a doubles at the Olympics with Popyrin, and Ruud, it features dual-major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and top 10-incumbent Andrey Rublev.

Crowd engagement is welcomed and Kyrgios touched on this aspect of what he is looking forward to when posting about his return on social media this week ahead of his outing with Ruud, a rival he has a testy history with.

“I know it’s been a long time but my body is finally ready to get back out there and have some fun,” he posted on social media.

“I will see if I’m still able to go up against some of the best players in the world, starting off with my old rival Casper Ruud.

“I can’t wait to be out there again competing in front of all the amazing fans and hopefully I can still bring some life to the sport.”

FORMER COMEBACK KINGS ON THE CHALLENGE AHEAD

The seriousness of the injuries Kyrgios has endured, combined with his length on the sidelines and his at-times ambivalent approach adds to the queries surrounding his capabilities of launching a successful comeback.

After undergoing surgery to remove a cyst growing in his meniscus in his left knee, he struggled to move properly in his sole outing in 2023 at Stuttgart leading into Wimbledon.

On the eve of the tournament, he withdrew citing a wrist complaint that required secret surgery in Adelaide last September – it was considered innovative surgery but there was optimism at the time that with the right recovery period, Kyrgios would be able to return.

That was almost 12 months ago. And stars including Dominic Thiem, a former US Open champion who will play his last grand slam next week, and another former winner in New York in Juan Martin del Potro have endured tortured times overcoming wrist problems.

Former world No.2 Tommy Haas, who made three Australian Open semifinals and is now the Indian Wells tournament director, is well-versed in the difficulties of making a comeback.

The German had extended stints off the tour due to injuries, which included recurrent shoulder issues and a hip problem, on three occasions and said “it is never easy” to come back.

“It depends on your mindset, who you have around in your team, and sometimes it can be a good thing. You don’t necessarily take everything for granted,” Haas told foxsports.com.au.

“Obviously when it happened to me a couple of more times after that it got a little more frustrating and annoying, because you feel like your body is not able hold up as well as I would have liked it to do, but that is something you have to accept, just like other things in life. You have to accept them, move on, and gear up and try again. Get back on that horse.”

Haas said he learnt a lot about himself in the initial stages of his time away from the tour but said watching others succeed while sidelined made him hungrier for success.

During his stint recovering from injury Kyrgios, who regularly stated he would not play beyond 27, said absence had sharpened his appetite and he could not wait to challenge the best again.

“I’ve missed beating people. I miss winning. And I was winning so much in 2022 before I had to stop,” he said in June.

“I missed competing. I missed hearing the crowd (and) my fans. Even the people that hate me, I miss them. I miss them all. I can’t wait to be back.”

Haas said Kyrgios will have a number of scenarios running through his head as he plots a potential return to the court after his exhibition appearances in New York.

“I’m not sure of Nick’s situation – I note that Reilly Opelka has dealt with some injuries for the last two years as well – but he (will be) wondering ‘How fit (am I) going to get again? (Am I) going to play? When do I start? Am I going to get back to that level I was before?’” Haas said during an interview at Wimbledon.

“All these things, you question yourself about. Being a top 20 player, obviously Nick has had some great success before in his career, reaching the finals at Wimbledon, so it is really a matter of how badly does he want to get back.

“How badly does he want to achieve some of those things? We have talked about Nick’s talent and potential and obviously it is there, so it is just a matter of how much does he really want to do it and how committed is he.”

Dual-grand slam finalist Mark Philippoussis is another who spent extended time on the sidelines and he said it is “very hard” to make a successful return to tennis.

The Scud managed to reach a Wimbledon final after badly injuring a knee but said he had to “work twice as hard to get back from injury”.

“It’s incredibly hard physically and emotionally because you have got to have the mindset of putting in the work for rehab. Discipline comes into effect. The daily habits,” he said.

“And when you do come back from injury, it’s about getting your confidence and finding your game. It is not going to just click, no matter how big your weapons are. It’s about getting your confidence back and playing those important points, those big points (well) and that is going to take time. We will see.”