عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Kyrgios Set to Return to Tennis in Brisbane with Plans for 2025 Australian Open

FILE - Nick Kyrgios of Eagles returns the ball to Grigor Dimitrov of Falcons during a match of Day 3 of the World Tennis League at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
FILE - Nick Kyrgios of Eagles returns the ball to Grigor Dimitrov of Falcons during a match of Day 3 of the World Tennis League at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
TT
TT

Kyrgios Set to Return to Tennis in Brisbane with Plans for 2025 Australian Open

FILE - Nick Kyrgios of Eagles returns the ball to Grigor Dimitrov of Falcons during a match of Day 3 of the World Tennis League at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
FILE - Nick Kyrgios of Eagles returns the ball to Grigor Dimitrov of Falcons during a match of Day 3 of the World Tennis League at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Nick Kyrgios said Thursday he will make a return to competitive tennis at the Brisbane International beginning Dec. 29 after playing only one ATP Tour match in more than two years, The Associated Press reported.
The 29-year-old Kyrgios has been mostly sidelined with career-threatening wrist and knee injuries since the 2022 US Open quarterfinals.
That run came six weeks after reaching the Wimbledon final when he came closest to winning a Grand Slam singles championship before losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic.
Also stating his intentions to play in the 2025 Australian Open in Melbourne, Kyrgios said he's planning to compete in the World Tennis League exhibition event in Abu Dhabi from Dec. 19-22, with the mixed team event also attracting players such as Iga Swiatek, Casper Ruud, Aryna Sabalenka, Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev.
Kyrgios was a late withdrawal from the Australian Open in 2023 due to a knee injury that required surgery, before having to pull out of the French Open later that year with a foot issue.
A winner of seven titles on the ATP Tour, Kyrgios subsequently tore a ligament in his wrist that also needed surgery with his last tour match a short-lived return to grass at Stuttgart in June 2023.
Currently unranked, the one-time 13th-ranked player said he was excited to resume his career in front of home fans.
“Honestly, this is probably the best I’ve felt in two years,” he told a Melbourne television station Friday. “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."
At a later media conference in Brisbane, Krygios added: “I am feeling fit and healthy, and I am excited for my return to tennis . . . it has been a long journey of recovery to be where I am today.”

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Home Hero Vacherot Thrilled to Beat Musetti in Monte Carlo

Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 8, 2026 Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reacts during his round of 32 match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 8, 2026 Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reacts during his round of 32 match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti REUTERS/Manon Cruz
TT
TT

Home Hero Vacherot Thrilled to Beat Musetti in Monte Carlo

Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 8, 2026 Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reacts during his round of 32 match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Monte Carlo Masters - Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France - April 8, 2026 Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reacts during his round of 32 match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti REUTERS/Manon Cruz

Monaco's Valentin Vacherot could barely have scripted his second career win over a top-five player better after he defeated world number five Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(6) 7-5 in front of a joyous home crowd at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday.

The victory made the 27-year-old just the second Monegasque, after his half-brother and coach Benjamin Balleret, to reach the Monte-Carlo Masters third round, Reuters reported.

It also marked his second win over a top-five ⁠ranked opponent following ⁠his triumph over 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic en route to his maiden ATP title at the Shanghai Masters last year.

"If someone had told me that my first top-five win of the season, second ⁠after Shanghai, would be here on a night session, on the center court that I've been hitting on since I'm six years old, I wouldn't have believed it," Vacherot said on court.

"Maybe people don't know that I love clay. I grew up playing here for 18 years before going to college and learning how to play on hard courts. ⁠But this ⁠is where I learned how to play tennis.

"Let's say I needed a set and a half to get on it in the first round. And now my game is back."

Vacherot, who rocketed from number 204 in the world to number 40 after his win in Shanghai and also reached the third round of the Australian Open this year, takes on Poland's Hubert Hurkacz later on Thursday.

Sports

AC Milan, Inter, Juve to Play Pre-season Matches in Perth

Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v AC Milan - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - April 6, 2026 AC Milan's Santiago Gimenez looks dejected after Napoli's Matteo Politano scores their first goal REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v AC Milan - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - April 6, 2026 AC Milan's Santiago Gimenez looks dejected after Napoli's Matteo Politano scores their first goal REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
TT
TT

AC Milan, Inter, Juve to Play Pre-season Matches in Perth

Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v AC Milan - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - April 6, 2026 AC Milan's Santiago Gimenez looks dejected after Napoli's Matteo Politano scores their first goal REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v AC Milan - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - April 6, 2026 AC Milan's Santiago Gimenez looks dejected after Napoli's Matteo Politano scores their first goal REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo

AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus said they will play a series of pre-season friendlies in August at Perth Stadium after plans to stage an Italian top-flight match at the Australian venue were scrapped late last year.

Serie A had been in talks to stage a game between ⁠AC Milan and ⁠Como in Perth in February but called it off in December citing conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation.

The game would have been the ⁠first major European domestic league fixture to be played outside its home country.

AC Milan take on Inter Milan on August 5. Inter then face Juventus three days later and Juventus play Serie B side Palermo on August 11, Reuters reported.

Western Australia Tourism Minister Reece ⁠Whitby ⁠said that the games would be a boost to the tourist sector.

"We are consistently seeing the positive impact these major events have on our communities - boosting our tourism sector, supporting local jobs and businesses, and diversifying Western Australia's economy," Whitby said on Thursday.

Sports

Bayern Keeper Neuer’s Masterclass Reignites National Team Discussion

07 April 2026, Spain, Madrid: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer celebrates a goal during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich at Santiago Bernabeu. (dpa)
07 April 2026, Spain, Madrid: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer celebrates a goal during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich at Santiago Bernabeu. (dpa)
TT
TT

Bayern Keeper Neuer’s Masterclass Reignites National Team Discussion

07 April 2026, Spain, Madrid: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer celebrates a goal during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich at Santiago Bernabeu. (dpa)
07 April 2026, Spain, Madrid: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer celebrates a goal during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich at Santiago Bernabeu. (dpa)

Bayern Munich's veteran keeper Manuel Neuer delivered ‌a five-star performance in Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg win at Real Madrid, reigniting a discussion about his potential return to the national team ahead of the World Cup starting in June.

The 40-year-old World Cup winner, who retired from international duty in 2024, has been on many German fans' minds with Oliver Baumann currently the first choice keeper for Germany, and Jonas Urbig and Alexander Nuebel as his likely replacements at the tournament. Marc-Andre ter Stegen is out of the mix following consecutive injuries.

Tuesday's performance saw Neuer, who was Germany's starting keeper for 14 years, make a string of spectacular saves throughout the pulsating encounter, including ‌repeatedly stopping Real ‌top scorer Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr in one-on-ones, ‌to ⁠protect the visitors' ⁠slim lead and earn man-of-the-match honors.

He was heaped with praise by German pundits, many of whom called for his World Cup squad inclusion, and even Real coach Alvaro Arbeloa highlighted Neuer's performance.

"I think Neuer was MVP," Arbeloa said. "We had so many chances to score more goals, but we didn't do it."

The Germans never had a shortage of world class keepers to choose from for international tournaments but the ⁠national team has seen little keeper consistency since Neuer's retirement.

With ‌the World Cup starting in the United States, ‌Canada and Mexico in June, and Germany eager to do well after consecutive first ‌round exits in 2018 and 2022, calls for Neuer's return are growing louder.

A ‌lot has also been said about the relationship between the veteran keeper and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, which at times appeared to be strained.

The coach, when asked in an interview days ago if he had congratulated the player for his 40th birthday, said he ‌had no idea Neuer had turned 40. He has also repeatedly ruled out any possibility of luring him out ⁠of international retirement.

But ⁠on Tuesday, following Neuer's stellar performance, the keeper was asked about a possible national team return once more.

"We don't need to bring that up at all," Neuer told reporters.

"Where did we play today? That was a sensational game. We're not talking about the national team now. I've said my piece and I'm concentrating on Bayern here."

While Neuer wants to focus on club football with Bayern still in the running for three titles, performances such as these will only pile more pressure on Nagelsmann.

"To be honest, I am not surprised by his performance," said Bayern's director of sport, Max Eberl. "Manuel has been playing at this level for the entire season. He saved us today on several occasions."

Asked about a potential return to the national team, Eberl said: "I am not in charge of the national team coach."