Nick Kyrgios

Did You Know?

• Kyrgios is only the third player, after Dominik Hrbatý and Lleyton Hewitt, to have beaten each of the Big Three (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal) the first time he played against them.
• In his junior career, Kyrgios won the singles event at the 2013 Australian Open and the doubles events at the 2012 French Open, 2012 Wimbledon Championships and 2013 Wimbledon Championships.
• Kyrgios's mother was born in Malaysia as a member of the Pahang royal family, but she dropped her title as a princess when she moved to Australia in her twenties.
• At the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, Kyrgios saved nine match points in his second-round win against Richard Gasquet before beating World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the third round.
• Kyrgios donated $10,000 towards the redevelopment of the Lyneham Tennis Centre in Canberra.

Professional career

In 2012, Kyrgios lost his first-round qualifying match at the Australian Open to Mathieu Rodrigues after winning the first set. His first professional victory came in March 2012 against Ouyang Bowen at an ITF Futures event in Japan. He spent the rest of the season on the ITF Men's Circuit, reaching a semifinal and a quarterfinal in Australian tournaments, and finished the year ranked No. 838. In 2013, he lost in the first round of qualifying at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open.

After winning the Boys' Singles at the Australian Open, he stated his goal was to reach the top 300 by year's end. He won his first challenger tour title at the Nature's Way Sydney Tennis International, defeating Matt Reid in straight sets. At the 2013 French Open, Kyrgios received a wildcard into the main draw after John Millman withdrew, and recorded his first ATP Tour level win against former world No. 8 Radek Štěpánek. He lost to Marin Čilić in the next round, rising to No. 213.

He qualified for the 2013 US Open but lost to David Ferrer in the first round, reaching a career high of No. 186 on 9 September 2013. He ended the season ranked No. 182.

National representation

Kyrgios played in the inaugural ATP Cup in 2020, winning three straight singles matches against Jan-Lennard Struff, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Cameron Norrie, and a doubles match with Alex de Minaur to defeat Great Britain in the quarter-finals. He lost to Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-finals. He has represented Australia eleven times in Davis Cup, with a win-loss record of 11–6. He made his Davis Cup debut in September 2013 against Poland at age 18, replacing Marinko Matosevic.

He lost the doubles rubber with Chris Guccione but won his singles rubber after Michał Przysiężny retired. In 2014, Australia lost 5–0 to France, with Kyrgios losing to Richard Gasquet and Gaël Monfils. Australia beat Uzbekistan 5–0 in the World Group Play-offs, with Kyrgios winning both his matches. In 2015, he lost his singles match against Kazakhstan and was replaced due to injury.

He was dropped for the semi-final against Great Britain. He returned in September 2016 for Australia's World Group playoff victory against Slovakia, winning his singles tie in straight sets. In 2017, Australia defeated the Czech Republic 4–1, with Kyrgios winning his singles match.

Broadcasting, film, and television

Kyrgios made his broadcasting debut as a guest commentator and analyst on Tennis Channel for the 2023 ATP Finals alongside Andy Roddick and Jim Courier. He made his ESPN debut at the 2024 Australian Open. He appeared in the documentary Australia's Open, which premiered at the 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival. He featured in the Netflix docuseries Break Point, which premiered on 13 January 2023, covering his doubles title run with Thanasi Kokkinakis, his struggles with suicidal thoughts and depression, and the 2022 Wimbledon final.

On 1 December 2023, he was a guest on Piers Morgan Uncensored, discussing mental health, conflicts with other athletes, racism, and his mother being held at gunpoint. In 2024, he launched a celebrity-interview series called Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios, sponsored by Naomi Osaka's company Hana Kuma, with guests including Mike Tyson, Jemele Hill, Frances Tiafoe, and Novak Djokovic. Also in 2024, he became a commentator and analyst for the BBC at Wimbledon, calling the Gentlemen's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

Reputation

Kyrgios won his first challenger tour title at age 17. His childhood coach, Andrew Bulley, described him as a 'super competitor' who trained with greater intensity than other children, and his father called him a 'perfectionist'. After defeating Kyrgios in the 2014 Davis Cup, Richard Gasquet said he had a great attitude and wonderful personality and would be a prominent player in the future. Bulley credited the support of Kyrgios's close-knit family for his attitude and motivation.

Kyrgios said that being away from home for long periods while traveling for tournaments was difficult, and that he pushed his family away during times of criticism and pressure. His mother, Nill, said this was a hard time for him. He remains a polarising figure who is highly criticised in the media. After returning in December 2024 following experimental wrist surgery, the media reassessed his future based on a good performance at the Brisbane International.

He is frequently invited to exhibition and team tennis events despite lower rankings, and remains one of the most popular drawcards at live events, with his matches filling stadiums. After losing the 2022 Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios said it took him nearly ten years to reach a grand slam final and that his level was there, but when asked if it made him hungry for more finals, he replied 'no, it was exhausting!'.