Nick Kyrgios says he is good for tennis and the sport will get a boost from his return to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open.

Nick Kyrgios returns to the Australian Open and plays Britain’s Jacob Fearnley in his first match at the tournament in three years. The controversial Australian has been sidelined for most of the past two years following knee and wrist surgeries - and claims the sport has been “mundane” in his absence.

Nick Kyrgios has hailed the ‘X factor’ of rising British tennis star Jacob Fearnley ahead of their first-round showdown at the Australian Open. Fearnley, 23, is set to feature in his second Grand Slam main draw having impressively pushed Novak Djokovic to four sets at Wimbledon last year.

Nick Kyrgios faces another injury setback in his planned return to Grand Slam tennis at the Australian Open after an abdominal strain forced him to withdraw from an exhibition with Novak Djokovic this week.