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Nick Kyrgios is set to face good friend Holger Rune at an exhibition event in Copenhagen next month, thus also marking Kyrgios' return to competition. Kyrgios and Denmark's Rune will face off in the Energi Danmark Champions Battle at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen on May 24.
Kyrgios has not played a tour-level match since October last year and has not yet earmarked any of the upcoming tournaments on tour for his comeback. The Australian tennis star underwent knee surgery in January after withdrawing from the Australian Open.
The exhibition match against Rune is expected to be his first match this year.
"Can't wait," Nick Kyrgios wrote on Instagram, referring to the clash against Rune.
Rune and Kyrgios have expressed great admiration for each other in the past. In a past interview, Rune revealed how Kyrgios helped him when he was playing on the Futures circuit and the duo went on to develop a great friendship. The Dane also called Kyrgios "one hell of a player."
“I was playing on Futures tour. He was very nice to help me out with tactics & very polite. I was just like ‘Ok I’ll give it a chance & try to text him’ & he replied. Since then we’ve had a great relationship. I respect him a lot. He’s a hell of a player," Rune told Gazetta.
Kyrgios recently stood up for Rune after the latter's controversial exchange at the net with Stan Wawrinka after their Indian Wells clash.
Nick Kyrgios feels Holger Rune has potential to win 'several Grand Slams'
Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios once claimed that Holger Rune holds incredible potential that could see him win many Grand Slam titles in the future. Kyrgios feels Rune's rise will be huge for tennis. Kyrgios also lauded Rune's entertaining brand of tennis and work ethic that stems from his love for the sport.
"Holger's potential is incredible, and it is big enough to win several grand slams during his career. It could be big for the sport of tennis," the Aussie told Danish newspaper B.T.
"Holger is so entertaining to watch play. He has an incredible work ethic because he just loves the game," Kyrgios added.
The two players are yet to face each other on the ATP tour.
While Kyrgios is still recovering post-surgery, Rune won the BMW Open in Munich last week.
