Wimbledon finalists set for return after lengthy absences

Past finalists Nick Kyrgios and Milos Raonic return to tennis after long injury hiatuses

Controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios is looking to return to singles for the first time since his withdrawal from the Japan Open in October 2022.

Having missed his home grand slam and the clay season because of a knee surgery, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist returns just in time for the grass-court season. The Stuttgart Open will welcome Kyrgios as the eighth seed of the tournament with other notable players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Taylor Fritz taking up the No 1 and 2 seeds respectively.

Kyrgios comes in with big expectations as, even with his long absence from the court, he is positioned as the oddsmakers’ third favourite to win the Stuttgart Open.

The current title holder, Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, looks to retain his trophy as the tournament’s seventh seed. Kyrgios’ first-round match will take place on Tuesday, when he finds himself a big favourite versus China’s Yibing Wu.

Meanwhile, former world No 3 Milos Raonic – another past Wimbledon finalist – returns to tennis after a near-two year hiatus. The Canadian, known for his massive serve, suffered a calf injury among other issues in his long absence.

Raonic will be making his comeback at the Libema Open in S-Hertogenbosch, where the tournament’s fifth-seeded Miomir Kecmanovic is waiting in the first round as a favourite. The Canadian’s return comes as quite a surprise to many fans as, after years of battling injuries, Raonic was expected to retire by some pundits.

Still, he comes back to tennis with hopes of success and the chance to add to his tally of three Wimbledon quarter-finals later this summer.

Raonic has not competed in a match on grass since his fourth-round exit at Wimbledon in 2019, and is looking to finally return to SW19 after four long years.