'Poor baby': Nick Kyrgios makes rude gesture as girlfriend sympathises

Nick Kyrgios shared his first update since undergoing surgery to treat the torn meniscus that forced him out of the 2023 Australian Open. The Australian bad boy made a rude gesture in the picture before stating that he is well on his way to make a full recovery.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist was among the favourites coming into the Australian Open, and even treated home fans to a fun practice encounter with Novak Djokovic. However, the excitement was short lived as he was forced to pull out on the eve of the tournament.

Kyrgios, along with his physio, made the decision to undergo surgery to treat the knee injury after trying other treatments prior to the Australian Open. The 27-year-old is hoping to get back to his best, and thanked his "real" well wishers for the outpouring of love and support.

"Surgery complete. I'll be doing everything I can to get back to my best. to the real ones checking in and sending the vibes.... I love you."

Kyrgios' girlfriend, Costeen Hatzi, who is ever present by his side during the season, was quick to sympathise with her boyfriend. She shared his post on her Instagram stories with the caption "poor baby" while also posting two strength emojis on his post.

Kyrgios' physio Will Maher revealed that the recovery process will be straight forward. The Australian is expected to be out for just over a month with a return penciled in for the Indian Wells Masters that gets underway on March 6 in California.

"It's a relatively straightforward recovery through February for him, and very realistic to be back on the court for Indian Wells. It won't interrupt his year tremendously," Kyrgios' physio stated, as quoted on Sportskeeda.

"The prognosis is good and he'll be fine. We just go back to work and make sure everything is fine for him and we go again."

Kyrgios will be hoping to replicate his form from the 2022 season, which saw him make the final at Wimbledon and claim the title at the Citi Open. The Aussie bad boy also retains hopes of claiming his first major title in 2023, and was gutted at missing out on playing in front of his home fans.