Brisbane has handed Nick Kyrgios a lifeline, and the Aussie looks ready to see whether the wild card clears more than just paperwork.
The tournament confirmed Kyrgios as an entrant for the January event, a clear sign he is aiming for match rhythm ahead of the Australian Open and a second potential wildcard in Melbourne.
Kyrgios’s Road To Brisbane
“I don’t know whether to call it a miracle or anything, but my knee feels like it’s gotten younger by a couple of years,”
Nick Kyrgios
Kyrgios will be at the Brisbane International from January 4 to January 11, then head to the Kooyong Classic round-robin from January 13 to 15 in Melbourne, building toward the Australian Open qualifying window.
Australian Open organisers are expected to lock in all wildcards just before qualifying starts on January 12, which means Brisbane is both a competitive tune-up and a timely audition for selectors deciding who will play in Melbourne.
The 30-year-old has endured a stop-start time on tour, and his comeback plans have been punctuated by multiple operations and cautious scheduling as he seeks durable match fitness rather than a single headline moment.
ABC reported he has played just six ATP Tour matches in more than three years, having endured surgery after surgery, including four rounds of knee and wrist procedures that put his career momentum on hold.
Fitness, Form And The Numbers
The BBC notes fitness problems limited Kyrgios to just five singles matches in 2025, and his world ranking has tumbled to around 673, leaving him without a protected spot and reliant on organisers for entry at Melbourne Park.
That decline is stark against what Kyrgios describes as his physical surprise, with a recent period of treatment and good days prompting him to say that something had changed and the knee was no longer swelling after sessions.
He keeps pointing to the bright stretch he enjoyed in 2022, when he reached the Wimbledon final and made a deep run at the US Open, a reminder of what his peak game can produce when the body cooperates.
Statistically the gap is clear: Kyrgios has played just one Grand Slam match since that Wimbledon final, a first-round loss to Britain’s Jacob Fearnley at Melbourne Park, underscoring how limited his recent competitive exposure has been.
Exhibitions, Expectations And The Local Lift
Before Brisbane, he will appear in a high-profile exhibition in Dubai on December 28 against women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka, a match the BBC says has divided opinion and will be shown live on BBC One.
Those exhibitions are part fitness work and part profile maintenance, giving Kyrgios chances to test match sharpness without the ranking pressure, while also keeping a spotlight on him ahead of the home summer season.
Cameron Pearson, tournament director, put it plainly to organisers and fans, saying, “Nick has long been a favourite with Brisbane crowds and will be a major drawcard for fans,” which signals how much the event values his presence.
Pearson added, “We’re thrilled to welcome him back to Brisbane and can’t wait to watch him perform in front of a passionate home crowd,” highlighting the commercial and emotional boost his entry gives local tennis supporters.
As a former champion of the event, the 2018 winner still carries local cachet, and organisers will hope that mixed with careful scheduling, Kyrgios can give fans glimpses of the big-hitting, theatrical player who once lit up the grass at Wimbledon.
Realistically, the Brisbane appearance is a step rather than a leap; coaches and physios will want to see sustained, injury-free match play, because a few good sets in exhibitions do not always translate into weeks of consistent success on tour.
For Kyrgios the pathway is straightforward on paper: find rhythm in Brisbane and Kooyong, convince selectors that his body is reliable, and hope for the wildcard that will let him contest the Australian Open without slogging through qualifying rounds.
Until then, fans should expect a mix of entertainment and testing moments, a player with world-class shotmaking searching for the match fitness he once took for granted, and a city ready to greet him with applause and a few court-side jokes.
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Christoph Friedrich is a German tennis player and coach currently residing in Oakland, California. He began his tennis journey at the age of eight and has since dedicated his life to the sport. After working as a tennis coach and hitting partner in New York City for eight years, Christoph decided to share his knowledge and experience with tennis players around the world by creating the My Tennis Expert blog. His goal is to make tennis education accessible to everyone and help players select the best equipment for their game, from racquets and strings to shoes and overgrips. Christoph's extensive research and expertise in tennis technology make him a valuable resource for players of all levels.
