Nick Kyrgios in 'miracle' recovery and has exciting plan ahead of Aryna Sabalenka clash

Nick Kyrgios believes he's had a breakthrough in his ongoing injury layoff - and he's now hoping he'll be ready to make another comeback at the Australian Open. The former world No. 13 has spent the better part of three years sidelined by knee and wrist injuries and briefly returned to competition earlier this year, but he has not played a match since March.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up has already committed to facing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a'Battle of the Sexes' in December, weeks before the Aussie Open kicks off. And he's seen a "miracle" improvement in his knee just in time.

Kyrgios has undergone surgeries on his knee and wrist over the last few years. He did not play a single match from the end of 2022 until the beginning of this year, when he returned to competition in Brisbane.

However, the Aussie played just four tournaments and has not been in action since losing in the second round of the Miami Open. But he's suddenly had a promising turnaround.

"In the last month, I don't know what it is. I was with my masseuse and physio last night and something really has changed with my knee," Kyrgios told the Australian Associated Press.

"It's not swelling. It's not feeling bad after a session. I don't know whether to call it a miracle or anything, but my knee feels like it's gotten younger by a couple of years."

After spending months rehabbing his knee and feeling stuck, the seven-time title winner has a "new lease of life" after seeing improvement almost overnight.

He added: "I don't want to jinx it, but something in it has gone, kind of allowed me to put three, four days of training together on court for an hour-and-a-half, two hours and be able to actually recover and then build on that.

"So that's been really exciting and I haven't really told anyone. I have a new lease on life on court."

Kyrgios has won just one singles match this year, beating Mackenzie McDonald in Miami before losing to Karen Khachanov in the second round. He has since been forced to pull out of multiple tournaments, including Wimbledon and the US Open, and did not set a new comeback date.

The former world No. 13 has fallen out of the world's top 650 due to his inactivity. When he returned to competition at the start of the season, he used his protected ranking of No. 21 to enter tournaments. He may need a wildcard if he wants to return to the Australian Open in January.

Kyrgios has committed to facing Sabalenka in a 'Battle of the Sexes' at the Cola-Cola Arena in Dubai on December 28. After the match was announced, Kyrgios said: "When the world No. 1 challenges you, you answer the call.

"I've got massive respect for Aryna; she's a powerhouse and a true champion. But I've never backed down from a challenge, and I'm not just here to play, I'm here to entertain. This is what I live for."