Nick Kyrgios felt like he had been “hit by a bus” after returning to action at the Brisbane International in December.
“I was on the treatment table for an hour and a half before bed,” Kyrgios said after playing alongside Novak Djokovic in his first match – singles or doubles – back on the ATP Tour in eighteen months.
“But we know that's how it's going to be. Even doubles, you just can't replicate the match pressure, the nervous energy.”
It has been a long road back from a troublesome wrist injury for the 29-year-old, who lost his first singles match back in action, going down to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Now, he is preparing for his first Australian Open match since 2022.
No rank, no fear?
The last time he played at the AO, Kyrgios kicked off a campaign in which he went on to reach the final of Wimbledon, becoming only the third unseeded player in the past two decades to reach a men’s singles final at a Grand Slam.
He is alongside Marcos Baghdatis and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who both achieved the feat at the AO, in 2006 and 2008 respectively.
Kyrgios’ encounter with Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley on Monday evening – which will be the first meeting between the pair – will mark only his third Tour-level match since the end of the 2022 season.
The 29-year-old, then, comes into AO 2025 unranked.
In the 21st century, only one other unranked male player – Jeremy Chardy in 2023 – has won an AO singles match.
There is a good omen for Kyrgios, though, given his last win on home soil came at AO 2022 over a Brit – Liam Broady.
That victory is one of just two for Kyrgios against British opponents at Grand Slams, though. The other came in his last meeting against a Brit, when he beat Paul Jubb 3-6 6-1 7-5 6-7(3) 7-5 in the first round at Wimbledon in 2022, en route to reaching the final.
Overall, Kyrgios holds a 2-4 record against Brits at the majors, with all four of those defeats coming against Andy Murray. Across his career, Kyrgios has a 5-9 record against players from Great Britain.
Should Kyrgios win, it will be his first match victory at a Grand Slam since he overcame Daniil Medvedev in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows in 2022.
Time for a JCA rebrand?
Never one to shy away from controversy or a contentious comment, Kyrgios has made sure everybody knows he is back in action at AO 2025. And, speaking on The AO Show last year, Kyrgios claimed he wanted to make sure that the John Cain Arena would one day be named after him, instead.
“I really want to put a petition in, when I'm done, to call it the Kyrgios Court, instead of John Cain Arena,” he quipped.
“I genuinely think if we called it the Kyrgios Court it'd be a lot cooler, and we'd create a bit more buzz: 'Oh you played on the Kyrgios Court?' Because then it's, like, known for being a bit of a chaotic, zoo-like atmosphere, I think, and then people will think about some of the best times I had on it.”
Kyrgios certainly has had some of his best times at JCA. He has a remarkable 12-3 record at the “People’s Court”, giving him a win rate of 80%. That win percentage is the best of any Australian at the arena.
Kyrgios’ standout match at the JCA – and arguably the AO – came in 2020, when he beat Karen Khachanov across five sets in a four-hour, 26-minute classic.
Despite his long absence, among active Australian players, Kyrgios (63.5%, 54-31) trails only Alex de Minaur (63.6%, 49-28) for winning percentage at the majors, and the difference between them is minimal.
This will be Kyrgios’ 10th appearance in the AO singles main draw. He holds a 17-9 record, with his best run coming in 2015, when he lost to eventual finalist Murray in the last eight.
Kyrgios has won eight of his previous nine opening-round matches, with his only defeat coming to Milos Raonic in 2019.
With the crowd on his side in what promises to be a thrilling evening session on day two, Kyrgios will be out to show he is back for good.