BRISBANE, Australia -- He's been the most polarising player on the ATP tour since just about the moment he turned professional in 2013. He's been called spoilt, bratty, and, at times, some have even gone so far as to label him a disgrace to tennis. But in his highly anticipated tournament return Monday evening, Nick Kyrgios proved the sport desperately needs him, far more than he has ever needed it.
As an overcast Brisbane sky transitioned to darkness, Kyrgios, sporting the backwards cap with the turned up peak and basketball-inspired singlet, alongside accomplished doubles teammate Novak Djokovic, thrilled the capacity crowd inside Pat Rafter Arena. In many ways it was the the full Kyrgios experience as he wore his heart firmly on his sleeve and plunged through the usual rollercoaster of emotions. There was some jaw-dropping tennis and the odd chirp with the crowd, everything anyone would reasonably expect when they purchase a ticket to his show. Ultimately, it ended with the star-studded duo overcoming Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies in a third set tiebreak to book their place in the second round.
"I want to thank Nick for playing," said Djokovic following match point. "He said the other day that it should be a pleasure to play with him. It is a pleasure and I'm glad to share the court with him on his comeback. Nick, it's great to have you back on court in a competitive environment."
With icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal now retired, and Djokovic, aged 37, firmly in the twilight of his career, it's no secret tennis is navigating through a tricky transitional phase. The hunt for new faces to carry the sport has been on for several years, not just those who can play at the highest level, but those who can entertain whilst doing it, ensuring crowds and television audiences don't begin to dwindle.
Mercurial four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz ticks all of the aforementioned boxes, but he might just be the only one of the ATP's current top 10 who does. Nobody would deny Jannik Sinner's talent -- he did win both the Australian Open and US Open this year -- but he's seemingly become a household name more from his ongoing doping saga than his on-court achievement. Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and even Australia's Alex de Minaur just aren't the drawcards the ATP would want them to be, while the average tennis fan likely couldn't pick world No. 6 Casper Ruud out of a line up.
And then there's Kyrgios. Prior to Monday evening, the Australian hadn't played at tour level since the Stuttgart Open in June 2023, a series of persistent knee and wrist injuries keeping him sidelined and subsequently falling out of the ATP's top 1,500 rankings. Yet despite the lengthy layoff, Kyrgios remained one of the sport's biggest names, and, more importantly, one of its greatest drawcards.
Kyrgios also has the talent to match. Before being struck down by injury, Kyrgios had been in a rich vein of form. He won the 2022 Australian Open doubles title with great mate Thanasi Kokkinakis, then reached the Wimbledon final five months later, before backing up with a run to the quarterfinals at the US Open. That talent was on display throughout Monday's doubles outing.
"My comeback, you know, this injury's been brutal for me, so I wasn't taking any of this for granted," said Kyrgios. "I was just looking around at all the fans, like this beautiful stadium, loving the energy, and was just so happy to be back out here."
Tennis desperately needs Kyrgios' unique, unfiltered, and unapologetic personality on what's otherwise become a rather sterile, ho-hum ATP tour. Heck, the announcement earlier in the month he would be teaming up with Djokovic in the doubles went totally gangbusters on tennis social media. No other player could generate that level of excitement for a non-Slam appearance, much less a non-Slam doubles appearance.
Tennis also needs Kyrgios' on-court brilliance. The ludicrous shot-making and audacious shot selection that leave his most accomplished peers dumbfounded and those in the stands spellbound. It's unique, top draw sporting entertainment fans around the world will gladly spend their hard-earned money to witness in the flesh.
"Nick has revolutionised the sport in many ways," former world No. 1 Mats Wilander told Eurosport in the lead in to the Brisbane International. "He is competitive, the level is high, the mental attitude is brilliant, the repertoire and the variety of shot-making, and the jokes he cracks. No one has ever done it all. Nick Kyrgios has a chance to do it all."
There's often a feeling around Kyrgios that the end of his tennis road is nearer than others who are at a similar point of their respective careers. Perhaps it's because of the injuries that have plagued him in recent years, or perhaps it's because he's never really needed the sport and has expressed far greater interest in his extracurricular activities. But the reality is, at age 29, Kyrgios should theoretically be smack bang in the middle of his tennis prime. He's also finally healthy and deeply motivated.
"Honestly, this is probably the best I've felt in two years," Kyrgios told 9News earlier this month. "I am coming back because something is keeping me around the game. I have beaten pretty much every person that has been put in front of me, won multiple titles, and made money. The one thing that is now my target is a Grand Slam. That will be the only thing that will shut people up at the end of the day."
And while he has no intention of "crawling to the finish line," while he is playing, the ATP must do all it can to extract every skerrick of value out of him before it's too late.
