Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is comfortably inside the top 100 again as he takes his annual clay-court break

Nick Kyrgios has shored up his 2022 tennis plans with another strong tournament result in Houston ahead of his break from the tour.

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios is back inside the world’s top 80 after a purple patch of form. Picture: Getty Images

Nick Kyrgios will enter his clay-court sabbatical with his highest ranking in eight months after a three-tournament surge restored his top-100 standing.

The Canberra tennis star started the Indian Wells Masters in early March as the world No.132 but rose 17 spots to No.77 in the newest rankings.

Kyrgios’ quarter-final run at Indian Wells, including a straight-sets defeat of eighth-ranked Casper Ruud, preceded him making the last 16 in Miami and the semi-finals in Houston last week.

He received a wildcard into all three events because of his lowly ranking but will hope to remain in double digits by the time he returns to the tour for Wimbledon and the grass-court season in June.

The Houston tournament will be Kyrgios’ sole appearance on clay this year as he prepares to sit out the French Open for the fifth year in a row.

Nick Kyrgios’ girlfriend, Costeen Hatzi, has convinced him to play at the 2023 French Open. Picture: Getty Images

The 26-year-old has committed to play at Roland Garros next year, at least in part because his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi wants to visit Paris.

“We already decided to go home (this year) and have that time. We’re just working towards that,” Kyrgios said.

“Time at home’s crucial, because the next trip is for three months and the time at home is so valuable.

“Especially being from Australia; you get homesick very quickly and we’re both very family-orientated, so we have to make sure that the season remains tight.”

Alex de Minaur (25), James Duckworth (71) and John Millman (74) are the only Australian men ranked higher than him, with Jordan Thompson (86), Thanasi Kokkinakis (88) and Alexei Popyrin (98) also in the top 100.

Australia’s James Duckworth is aiming to return from hip surgery before the French Open. Picture: AFP

Duckworth’s been out since undergoing hip surgery after the Australian Open but plans to return in early May, the week before the French Open.

The other big climber is 21-year-old Rinky Hijikata, who is up to a career-high No.259 after back-to-back title wins in $25,000 events in California.

Ajla Tomljanovic (42) and Astra Sharma (90) are Australia’s only top-100 representatives on the WTA Tour since Ash Barty’s shock retirement.

The country’s brightest female prospect, 19-year-old Olivia Gadecki, has improved her ranking almost 100 places since the start of March to be at No.168.