Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios will return to singles action this week for the first time since his Wimbledon final defeat.
The 27-year-old will start his preparation for the US Open on Wednesday (AEST) at the Atlanta Open.
Kyrgios has also been handed a wildcard for the Western & Southern Open, which will take place in Cincinnati in August, a fortnight ahead of the fourth grand slam tournament of the year.
Rafael Nadal is on the entry list for the men’s singles draw at the event – which will run from August 13-21 – alongside Alexander Zverev, who is making his return to the tour after suffering an ankle injury at the French Open.
World No.1 Daniil Medvedev is also set to participate, whilst Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic is unlikely to play due to his vaccination status.
It will be Kyrgios’ sixth appearance in Cincinnati and first since 2019.
However, before the event, Kyrgios is still scheduled to face the ACT Magistrates Court on August 2, which could potentially clash with warm-up tournaments in the United States.
He is due to face court following an alleged common assault in December.
Since his loss to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, Kyrgios has opened up on the emotions behind his tournament run.
The Canberran even admitted that victory at the All England Club could have seen him lose motivation.
“I think every tennis player that picks up a racquet one day wants to win Wimbledon. I think Wimbledon is the biggest title ever,” Kyrgios said in an interview with Citi Open.
“I even had a chat with my team, that I thought if I won Wimbledon, I’d really struggle after that for motivation.
“I really don’t know what more I would have to prove as a tennis player.”
Kyrgios also elaborated on the mental strength required to win a grand slam tournament.
“You can lose a grand slam in a day, but you can’t win one. It takes so many days,” he said.
“You know, you play a match and you have a day off, then you play again and then have a day off – like it’s the mental capacity to keep doing the same things over and over again for two weeks at the highest level.
“There’s so many different things, intangibles. You might be feeling sick one day, like I fell sick before I played [Filip] Krajinovic. Your body is hurting.
“Mentally, I couldn’t sleep for two days after [Rafael Nadal] pulled out. Physically, I felt great, but mentally [it was a different story].”
The US Open will be held in New York City from August 29 – September 11.