Nick Kyrgios remains one of the sport’s most controversial figures, never failing to make the head-lines on and off of the court.
The Aussie star made his return to the ATP Tour in 2025, having been out of action for over a year through injury.
Kyrgios lost in the Australian Open first round to British number three Jacob Fearnley in straight sets, 6-7, 3-6, 6-7.
The 29-year-old struggled with injury throughout, leading Kyrgios to suggest he may never play singles in Melbourne again.
Kyrgios, who is currently unranked after a lengthy period of inactivity, is set to target the Grand Slam tournaments in 2025, with a special focus on Wimbledon, where he reached the final three years ago.
However, as has been the case for much of Kyrgios’ career, his on-court activity isn’t necessarily the biggest story surrounding him.
Having criticized world number one Jannik Sinner in recent months following his 2024 doping violation, some have questioned the Aussies’ character.
Speaking in 2022, one American WTA star gave her thoughts on Kyrgios and revealed what stood out about him.
Coco Gauff said she thought Nick Kyrgios was a ‘nice person’ back in 2022
During a press conference at the 2022 US Open, Coco Gauff was asked what she thinks about Kyrgios.
“I know there’s things on the court that he does that people don’t agree with,” she said.
“I probably don’t agree with some things.
“Overall I think he’s a nice person, at least he’s always been to me.”
Gauff then recalled some of her earliest interactions with Kyrgios, that helped shape her perception of the Australian star.
“I remember I first hit with him, he probably doesn’t remember this, I was 13 years old at Miami Open,” she said.
“He finished his practice, hit with me for, like, 30 minutes, it’s just things like that that stand out for me.
“That’s why I feel like I can never dislike him because constantly when I see him around, he’s always saying hello.
“Again, when I was 14 at the Miami Open again, he finished a two-hour practice, I think with Frances Tiafoe.
“I remember saying, there’s no way he’s going to want to hit with me, just grind it out for two hours.
“He actually stayed and hit with me for an hour again.”
Those interactions stuck with Gauff, regardless of the criticism Kyrgios faced.
“It’s just moments like that that people don’t really see about him,” she said.
“I think people paint him as a bad guy.
“I feel around the grounds, at least my experience of him, he’s not.”
Kyrgios looked strong in the early rounds of the 2022 US Open, having made the final of Wimbledon earlier the same year.
As several top seeds began to fall, the Aussie quickly became one of the favorites in New York, and Gauff gave her thoughts on his chances of coming away with the trophy.
“Yeah, if he keeps it up, I think he can go far,” she said.
“He can win the tournament, we all know he has the ability to.
“He was close at Wimbledon.
“I always, always root for him, no matter who he’s playing, to be honest.”
How close was Nick Kyrgios to winning the 2022 US Open?
The 2022 US Open was already a strange tournament before it had even begun, as heavy favorite Novak Djokovic couldn’t compete due to US vaccination rules.
When Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev, champions in 2019, and 2021, fell in the fourth round, it became clear that someone was going to shock the world at Flushing Meadows.
None of the eight quarter-finalists in New York had won a Major tournament before, as players were eager to grasp a rare opportunity at Grand Slam success.
| Name | Previous best Grand Slam result | Quarter-final opponent |
| Nick Kyrgios [23] | F – 2022 Wimbledon | Karen Khachanov |
| Karen Khachanov [27] | QF – 2019 French Open, 2021 Wimbledon | Nick Kyrgios |
| Matteo Berrettini [13] | F – 2021 Wimbledon | Casper Ruud |
| Casper Ruud [5] | F – 2022 French Open | Matteo Berrettini |
| Jannik Sinner [11] | QF – 2020 French Open, 2022 Australian Open, 2022 Wimbledon | Carlos Alcaraz |
| Carlos Alcaraz [3] | QF – 2021 US Open, 2022 French Open | Jannik Sinner |
| Andrey Rublev [9] | QF – 2017 US Open, 2020 French Open, 2020 US Open, 2021 Australian Open, 2022 French Open | Frances Tiafoe |
| Frances Tiafoe [23] | QF – 2019 Australian Open | Andrey Rublev |
Kyrgios was one of three former Major finalists in the quarters, and as the oldest player left in the field, seemed a popular pick to take home the title.
It wasn’t to be, however, as Russia’s Karen Khachanov battled past him in a five-set thriller on Arthur Ashe, crushing his Grand Slam dreams.
Young Spanish star, Carlos Alcaraz went on to win the US Open, as he beat Casper Ruud in the final, condemning the Norwegian to his second Major final defeat of the year.
Kyrgios began to struggle with injury soon after and hasn’t won a Grand Slam match in the 878 days that followed his quarter-final loss in New York.
The Aussie will certainly be hoping to change that later this year when he heads to London for Wimbledon, which begins on June 30.
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