Nick Kyrgios made his long-awaited return to the ATP Tour at the Brisbane International, much to the delight of many fans.
After missing most of the 2025 ATP season, Kyrgios won his Brisbane doubles opener alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis.
But the Australian pair fell in the second round of the tournament, while Kyrgios suffered defeat in his singles opener.
Kyrgios plans to play Australian Open doubles, but the former world number 13 has opted against featuring in singles at his home Grand Slam.
Nick Kyrgios is good for tennis – Prove me wrong!
Nick Kyrgios deserves praise after admirable Australian Open decision
Confirming his decision, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist said: “After some good conversations with [Tennis Australia], I’ve made the call to focus on doubles at this year’s AO.
“I’m fit and back on court, but five-setters are a different beast and I’m not quite ready to go the distance yet.
“This tournament means everything to me, but I’d rather give my spot to someone who’s ready to make their moment count.”
Kyrgios clearly wanted to make an appearance at the Australian Open, but he has admirably allowed his potential place to be taken by a player with a much better chance of success.
He deserves praise for such an attitude, with many other players over the years having instead simply accepted the wildcard in similar circumstances.
Kyrgios knows he doesn’t have the game right now to compete at such a high level, and his absence could really help kick-start the career of an up-and-coming player, or simply allow a high-profile name to really make their mark in Melbourne.
The Australian Open is the best Grand Slam… discuss!
What ATP titles has Nick Kyrgios won in his career?
Kyrgios has certainly made many enemies throughout his tennis career, and he will likely continue to do so.
Plenty of criticism has gone his way over the years, which the Australian rarely listens to or cares about, but it’s clear he boasts a raw talent for tennis.
Kyrgios needs to play more this season, but whether or not he can battle his injury demons is another issue.
He has fallen all the way down to 671st in the ATP rankings, with his last title having arrived in Washington in 2022.
| Year | Titles | Tournaments |
| 2022 | 1 | Washington (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2019 | 2 | Washington (Outdoor/Hard) Acapulco (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2018 | 1 | Brisbane (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2016 | 3 | Tokyo (Outdoor/Hard) Atlanta (Outdoor/Hard) Marseille (Indoor/Hard) |
There is, however, Grand Slam success among his lengthy honors list thanks to his fantastic season back in 2022.
He lost the Wimbledon singles final to Novak Djokovic, but clinched Australian Open doubles success with Kokkinakis.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
