Kyrgios to headline Saudi summer event

Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios will step up his Australian Open preparations in the heat of Saudi Arabia at the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition event.

Hungry to kick on, Nick Kyrgios is heading to Saudi Arabia intent on gaining a "head start" on his rivals ahead of his latest grand slam title push in Melbourne.

After calling a premature end to his breakout 2022 singles season in early October, Kyrgios will ramp up his summer preparations at the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition event from December 8-10.

Australia's Wimbledon finalist is seeking priceless match practice against some of the world's premier players including former No.1 Daniil Medvedev and fellow heavyweights Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Taylor Fritz.

"It's a bonus for me to be able to play these matches and feel that match pressure still throughout my training block is going to be crucial for me and use that to get a bit of a head start on everyone else that's not able to play these matches," Kyrgios said.

In addition to his charge to a maiden grand slam final on London's hallowed grass courts, Kyrgios also made the US Open quarter-finals, claimed a seventh career title in Washington and carved out a 37-10 win-loss record.

Only tennis titans Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal posted better strike rates.

The 27-year-old Australian No.1 is at last starting to fulfil his potential and is determined to break his grand slam duck in 2023.

An unseeded second-round loser to the top-ranked Medvedev this year, the new and improved Kyrgios will be among the favourites when he returns for his 10th Australian Open tilt from January 16-29.

"I think before the season started, I was having a conversation with myself that I wanted to kind of reinvent myself on the tour," said tennis's most mercurial talent.

"I feel like the last couple of years with COVID and everything that was going on, I really felt like I kind of lost my identity a little bit on the tennis circuit.

"This year I kind of reminded everyone that I'm still one of the best players in the world and was able to do that on the big stage - obviously Wimbledon, US Open, and I also won a title.

"I guess I had a little moment with myself at the start."