John Millman expects the John Cain Arena crowd to supercharge an ailing Nick Kyrgios in his grand slam return on Monday night at the Australian Open.
Kyrgios is determined to play at Melbourne Park despite an abdominal strain adding another hurdle after wrist and knee surgeries ruined most of his past two years on tour.
Nick Kyrgios at full stretch as he warms up for his Australian Open return.Credit: Getty Images
The 29-year-old wore strapping across his abdomen but served for the first time in days during a hitting session with Cruz Hewitt on Sunday, in another indication he is set to play.
Millman said the extension point on the serve would likely be Kyrgios’ greatest issue.
“The most stress will be whenever Nick is in that extension position, but it probably won’t be much of a factor from the back of the court, at least in my experience,” Millman told this masthead.
“You’re not in the real flex phase [for groundstrokes], but it can definitely affect the serve, so that will be challenging for him. He’s in a race against time to get fully firing.
“Generally for most people, it takes a little time to get up to speed, but whether that’s the case with Nick, I’m not sure. I saw him play [Giovanni] Mpetshi Perricard in Brisbane, and that was a pretty high-quality match.”
Millman believes Kyrgios’ friendly first-round draw against Brit Jacob Fearnley could help his cause.
The Davis Cup representative and US Open quarter-finalist also felt Kyrgios’ potential date with 18th seed Sebastian Baez after that was not beyond him.
“Nick hasn’t had the luxury of playing multiple [singles] matches leading in, so he can make the most of his early draw and build match fitness that way,” Millman said.
Kyrgios loves playing on John Cain Arena, known as “the people’s court”, and Millman said the party atmosphere could help make up any shortfall in his preparation and physical state.
“We know playing at home, especially on that court with the JCA crowd can really get him up and going,” he said.
“Nick’s a showman – he likes the show, the spotlight is on him, and generally speaking, he’s one of the best entertainers out there.
“The spotlight is never shining brighter than an Australian tennis player playing in the Australian Open, and in Nick’s case, he is the one in the spotlight most because of the divisiveness he brings to the game.
“Whether you love him or hate him, people watch him. I think it’s fair to say he’s probably the ultimate surprise package and entertainer when it comes to the AO.”
Kyrgios had not played any competitive matches for 18 months before his singles and doubles contests at the Brisbane International at the start of this month.
“I’m taking it day by day and just enjoying all the moments again – being a part of the tournament, going through the hallways, locker room, seeing everyone again,” Kyrgios said on Friday.
“It’s been an emotional time for me, the last couple weeks. I’m just enjoying being back.”
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