Nick Kyrgios' knee injury could be causing him more trouble than suspected after the Aussie tennis star posted images to his social media indicating his recovery might take longer than first thought.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist was ruled out of the Australian Open after an MRI revealed a cyst as a result of a small lateral meniscus tear that required surgery to clean out and repair the joint. 

He had earmarked the March Indian Wells Masters tournament for his return.

However, the world No.20 posted an image on his Instagram stories on Tuesday showing him playing at a previous Indian Wells tournament with a sad-face emoji.

It suggests that his comeback from the knee surgery might not be going to plan and he could miss the ATP tournament in California. 

Kyrgios also posted an image taking selfies with supporters including the caption 'miss my fans'.

The Australian star has been proflific with his social media posting, including images of him catching up with friends and family and a video of him joking around during physiotherapy as he pretended his knee injury had him in agony.   

Kyrgios was awarded a wildcard entry to the main draw of the 2022 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells and it was a rollercoaster ride to the quarter finals where he fell to Rafael Nadal in three sets.

After being defaulted out of the Italian Open in 2019 against Casper Ruud, Kyrgios came up against the Norwegian for the first time since that incident.

The Aussie was a picture of concentration as he beat Ruud, but had a post-match dig at his opponent when he stared down the barrel of a camera.

'I hear no talking now. None. F***ing none. Nothing,' Kyrgios said.

However it was the quarter final against Nadal where Kyrgios truly melted down.

He blew up at the audience, even dragging comedian Ben Stiller into his antics as he fired back at a heckler in the crowd. The exchange went like this:

Kyrgios: 'Are you good at tennis?'

Heckler: 'No.'

Kyrgios: 'Exactly, so don't tell me how to play. [Pointing at Stiller and his wife who were sitting nearby] Do I tell him how to act? No.'

Kyrgios also smashed his racquet into the court which saw it spear off and almost hit a ballboy. He later apologised and gave the kid a new tennis racquet.

The combustible Australian has collectively been fined around $800,000USD, which equates to over $1.1 million in Australian money.