Nick Kyrgios has been helping Naomi Osaka to prepare for her long-awaited comeback by providing her with some helpful serving tips. The Japanese star has not played a competitive match since September 2022 but is expected to return to action at the Brisbane International next month.
Osaka has been practicing with Kyrgios as she gears up for her first tournament in well over a year, with the pair seen working alongside each other in a video on Instagram. In the short clip, Kyrgios was heard giving Osaka some advice on how to ‘serve way better’ by landing further inside the court.
Both players commented on the video, with Osaka writing: “Serve tips lol.” Kyrgios, meanwhile, said: “She didn’t need much help.”
The Aussie later followed up with a message of support for Osaka, which read: “The best part of the journey is realising that we can all learn something from someone. Will be following and supporting your comeback Naomi Osaka!! Happy to help anytime. The whole Kyrgios team is behind you.”
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It comes after Osaka was spotted watching the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Kyrgios, with the duo sitting courtside as LeBron James and his team-mates defeated the Houston Rockets over the weekend. The two players are known to have a strong friendship away from tennis, with Kyrgios becoming the first athlete to sign up with Osaka’s company Evolve last year.
He previously expressed his admiration for the four-time Grand Slam winner, saying: “I love what she brings to the sport. I think she’s an amazing athlete. She can play some great tennis, but what she can do off the court is even more inspirational. She has so many people looking up to her. She inspires millions of people and I think that’s something that I bring, as well.”
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Osaka, meanwhile, will be hoping to return to form at the Brisbane International after suffering defeat in her last match at the Pan Pacific Open in September last year. It seems as though a break from tennis has been just what she needed, with Osaka telling Eurosport earlier this year: “It really raised my love for the sport. It made me realize I’m not going to play forever.
“I have to embrace the times. I’ve been playing tennis since I was three. I don’t think I can predict what I’ll do. I never am able to do that, but it definitely made me appreciate a lot of things that I took for granted.”
On the prospect of playing in Brisbane, she added: ‘I am really excited about getting back out on court and competing. I always love starting my season in Brisbane and can’t wait to return. The Brisbane International is such a great tournament and will set me up for a brilliant comeback this summer.”
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