The 19-year-old has declared himself fit for next week's Sydney International, confident he can "make a run" at the Australian Open if his back stays strong.

Recovering from an inflamed spine, Kyrgios must also shoulder a huge weight of national expectation, installed a $34 chance with ACTTAB to win the Australian Open, eighth-favourite in betting.

It's staggering odds, given Kyrgios hasn't played a competitive singles match since the Malaysian Open in September, he's unseeded for the Australian Open, he made the second round in his debut appearance at Melbourne Park last year and his best finish at a major was his giant-killing quarter-final run at Wimbledon.

But Kyrgios, now ranked 50 in the world and the leading Australian men's player, shrugged off the hype.

"There's a lot of pressure and expectation, but it's my last Grand Slam as a teenager, it's a good opportunity to go out there and enjoy it," Kyrgios said. "Life's not too bad when you're playing another Grand Slam in your 19^th year ... it's not a big deal.

"Last year I wasn't expected to do anything ... so it's escalated pretty quickly. But I'm just going to go out there and enjoy myself, whatever happens happens. If I go down first round, so be it. If I make a run like I did at Wimbledon, then it happens as well."

Kyrgios's preparation has been hampered by the back injury, an inflamed joint and muscle, which forced him to withdraw from the Hopman Cup. Scans have ruled out more serious stress fractures or disc issues.

He has returned to training on softer indoor clay courts in Canberra this week, slowly stepping up the intensity daily. Kyrgios had a one hour hitting session in Canberra on Wednesday before leaving for Sydney, but expects to build up to match-play by Saturday.

"Everyday I'm noticing improvement, I wouldn't say I'm 100 per cent at this stage, but I've still got a lot of time up my sleeve before the main goal, which is the Australian Open," Kyrgios said.

"I've always been a player who doesn't need a lot of matches leading into big tournaments. I'm definitely playing Sydney, but if I wasn't I don't think it'd be too big of a deal.

"Obviously my preparation's been hampered by the back. I was doing three to four hours a day and now I'm just building up to an hour again. I can only do so much at the moment, you don't want to push the back too much that you'd be out for the Australian Open. I'm just monitoring it very closely and giving myself the best chance to play."

Kyrgios, who won the Australia Open junior title in 2013, said he would measure success in Sydney more by his recovery progress than his results.

"I feel like I can definitely make a run at the [Australian] Open, I'm playing some good tennis and I feel like I'm hitting the ball well," Kyrgios said.

"In Sydney I'm not going to look at that as a performance, it's more to see where I am from a health standpoint first. If I get through that then I'm going to be confident at the Australian Open."