"Day 1 was fu***d" - Nick Kyrgios begins recovery after knee surgery, highlights tough first day

Nick Kyrgios had a painful Day 1 as he began his recovery after undergoing knee surgery on Monday. Kyrgios was forced to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open and was informed by doctors that he needed an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee to avoid further damage and a long absence from the tour.

Kyrgios developed a cyst in his left meniscus, which is the result of a tear in his lateral meniscus. While his physio confirmed that the injury was not career-threatening for the Australian tennis superstar, there was no way for him to take to the court without undergoing surgery.

After completing the procedure and having already embarked on the road to recovery, it would be safe to say that Kyrgios was in a great deal of discomfort on Day 1.

"Day 1 was fu***d," Nick Kyrgios wrote in his Instagram Stories.

Nick Kyrgios shares a post-surgery update (via Instagram).

Shortly after undergoing surgery, the 28-year-old shared a picture of himself from the hospital, and vowed to return sooner rather than later and play his best tennis again.

"Surgery complete. I’ll be doing everything I can do get back to my best. to the real ones checking in and sending the vibes…. I love you,” Nick Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.

Kyrgios was set to begin his 2023 season at the United Cup earlier this month, but withdrew shortly before the tournament citing a knee injury. He then took to the Australian Open's Rod Laver Arena for a practice match against Novak Djokovic a couple of days before the start of the tournament, and it was only after the match that Kyrgios learned the full extent of his injury.

Nick Kyrgios and team targeting Indian Wells Masters as comeback tournament

Nick Kyrgios speaks during a press conference ahead of the 2023 Australian Open.

Nick Kyrgios is targeting the Indian Wells Masters in early March for his comeback tournament, which is a "realistic" goal, according to the world No. 22's physio. Kyrgios' physio Will Maher joined him in a pre-tournament press conference to announce his Australian Open withdrawal, and spoke about the Australian's injury, recovery, and his comeback plans.

"He'll have an arthroscopic procedure to clean up his lateral meniscus and remove the paralabral cyst. From there it's a relatively straightforward recovery through February for him, and very realistic to be back on the court for Indian Wells," Maher said on the same.

Maher also said that it was a conscious plan by Kyrgios and his team to use the practice match against Novak Djokovic on the Friday before the Monday start of the Australian Open to test Kyrgios' knee and see how he pulled up. Unfortunately, the result was not positive.

“We used the match, the charity event against Novak, as a gauge to see if he could compete at that highest level. He didn't pull up great," Maher revealed.