167 days after he last stepped on court, Nick Kyrgios returned to ATP Tour action.
His return was a successful one, as Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis won their opening match in the Brisbane International doubles event.
After dropping the first set 5-7, the 2022 Australian Open doubles champions fought back, eventually winning in a match tiebreaker, 10-8.
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Kyrgios and Kokkinakis made a positive start in Brisbane, just as their fellow Aussie, Alexei Popyrin, will hope to when he plays his first match in singles.
During his pre-tournament press conference, Popyrin was asked for his thoughts on Kyrgios’ return to tennis.
Alexei Popyrin thinks Nick Kyrgios can cause ‘difficulty’ for everyone
“It’s good,” he said.
“I think it’s nice having Nick [Kyrgios] back on the tour.
“He puts tennis on the map really well, so I think it’s good to have him back.
“Hopefully, he can stay for the rest of the year.”
Kyrgios has only played a handful of games over the past few seasons as he continues to struggle with injury.
Matches Nick Kyrgios has played since 2022
- 2022 – 79 (47 singles, 32 doubles)
- 2023 – 1 (1 singles)
- 2024 – N/A
- 2025 – 8 (5 singles, 3 doubles)
- 2026 – 1 (1 doubles)*
Kyrgios, like Popyrin, is looking to put those injury troubles behind him in 2026.
Popyrin was asked whether he and Kyrgios spoke to each other about their struggles last year.
“I kind of keep my challenges to myself a little bit. I think that might be something I need to work on. Look, I think we’re both in a good place. I know I am, that’s for sure,” he said.
The Aussie also predicted whether Kyrgios would be able to win matches despite his long injury layoff.
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“Look, he’s one of the most talented players, so I think if he’s mentally in the right space and physically is in the right shape, then yeah, he’ll come back in and will cause difficulty for everyone,” said Popyrin.
“But we’ll see.
“I don’t know what kind of physical shape he’s in. Mentally looks like he’s in good shape.
“Yeah, physically, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Kyrgios will play his first singles match since March 2025 on Tuesday, January 6, against Aleksandar Kovacevic.
What happened to Alexei Popyrin in 2025?
Popyrin enjoyed the best year of his professional career in 2024, winning his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open before stunning Novak Djokovic at the US Open.
He was, however, unable to carry that form through to 2025.
The Australian dropped out of the world’s top 50 and failed to win a title last season.
Popyrin was particularly poor at the four Grand Slam tournaments, winning just four matches.
Alexei Popyrin at Grand Slams in 2025
- 2025 Australian Open 1R [LOSS] vs Corentin Moutet
- 2025 French Open 1R [WIN] vs Yoshihito Nishioka
- 2025 French Open 2R [WIN] vs Alejandro Tabilo
- 2025 French Open 3R [WIN] vs Nuno Borges
- 2025 French Open 4R [LOSS] vs Tommy Paul
- 2025 Wimbledon 1R [LOSS] vs Arthur Fery
- 2025 US Open 1R [WIN] vs Emil Ruusuvuouri
- 2025 US Open 2R [LOSS] vs Jannik Sinner
He changed his coach in 2025, replacing Xavier Malisse with Wayne Ferreira, but the results didn’t improve.
It’s tough to pinpoint exactly what went wrong for Popyrin last year, but injuries certainly didn’t help matters.
The Aussie spent two months on the sidelines with a back problem, forcing him to skip a large chunk of the season.
Popyrin is tired of talking about 2025, though, and wants to look forward, not backwards.
“Everybody knows last year was a tough year for me. This will probably be the last time I’m speaking about last year,” he said.
“It’s really important to just focus on the years to come and this year to come.
“I kind of want to enjoy my time off the court when I’m traveling and playing all these tournaments. That will translate to me on the court. If I’m happy on the court, I’m practicing well and playing well, then the ranking will do its job, and the results will come.
“I think I have shown over the past couple of years that when I’m in the right headspace, I can cause some damage and have some good results. I just want it to be more consistent this year.”
Looking to cause some damage in Brisbane, Popyrin will begin his 2026 campaign against Quentin Halys on Monday, January 5.
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