At the US Open, Kyrgios defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis, Benjamin Bonzi and wildcard JJ Wolf to reach the fourth round at the US Open for the first time in his career. He then defeated world No.1 Danill Medvedev in four sets to reach the quarterfinals at the event for the first time. With his win over Medvedev, Kyrgios became the first Australian player to beat the world No. 1 twice within the same year, since Pat Cash in 1987. In the quarterfinals, he faced off against Russian 27th seed Karen Khachanov, losing a closely fought match in five sets. Despite the loss, Kyrgios returned to the Top 20 for the first time since February 2020 and reclaimed the No.1 Australian position, overtaking Alex de Minaur.
Kyrgios was born on 27 April 1995 in Canberra, Australia to a father of Greek origin, George, and a Malay mother, Norlaila ("Nill"). His father is a self-employed house painter, and his mother is a computer engineer. His mother was born in Malaysia as a member of the Selangor royal family, but she dropped her title as a princess when she moved to Australia in her twenties. His older sister Halimah works in dance and musical theatre and as a voice and performance coach based in Hong Kong. His brother Christos is a fitness trainer.
Nicholas Hilmy Kyrgios (/ˈkɪriɒs/ KIRR-ee-oss; Greek: Νικόλαος Χίλμυ Κύργιος, romanized: Nikólaos Chílmi Kírios; born 27 April 1995) is an Australian professional tennis player. Kyrgios achieved his career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 13 on 24 October 2016. He has won seven ATP Tour singles titles, including the 2019 and 2022 Washington Open, and reached eleven finals, most notably a major final at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, and a Masters 1000 final at the 2017 Cincinnati Masters. In doubles, during his professional career, Kyrgios has a career-high ranking of world No. 11, achieved on 7 November 2022, winning a major doubles title at the 2022 Australian Open and reaching the semifinals of the Miami Open, both times partnering with Thanasi Kokkinakis. He has also reached three major singles quarterfinals (at 2014 Wimbledon, upsetting then-world No. 1 Rafael Nadal en route, the 2015 Australian Open and the 2022 US Open, upsetting then-world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev en route).
At the 2022 Australian Open, he won his first round match in straight sets against qualifier Liam Broady. He was subsequently defeated in the second round by top seed Daniil Medvedev over four sets. In doubles, Kyrgios partnered with Thanasi Kokkinakis to defeat the world No. 1 doubles team, Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić, en route to the quarter-finals. Following their success in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, this set up the first all-Australian doubles final (since 1980) against Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell. Kyrgios and Kokkinakis won in straight sets, becoming the first all-Australian men's doubles champions (at the Australian Open) since The Woodies in 1997. Moreover, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis are the first wildcard pairing in the Open era to win the Australian Open men's doubles title. As a result, Kyrgios moved to the top 40 in the doubles rankings on 31 January 2022, rising 219 spots.
During the 2015 Australian Open, Kyrgios received direct entry for the first time due to his ranking. In his opening match, he defeated Federico Delbonis in a five-set thriller, before going on to beat Ivo Karlović and Malek Jaziri in second and third rounds, respectively. He then faced Andreas Seppi, who had just beaten Roger Federer in his previous match, in the fourth round. Kyrgios fell two sets behind and faced down a match point in the fourth set but, recovered to win in five sets. As a result, Kyrgios became the first teenage male to reach two Grand Slam quarterfinals since Federer in 2001, the first Australian male to reach the quarterfinals since Hewitt in 2005, and the first Australian of any gender to reach the quarterfinals since Jelena Dokic in 2009. In the quarterfinals, Kyrgios lost to eventual finalist Andy Murray in straight sets. After the tournament, he reached a career-high ranking of no. 35 in the world.
In June, Kyrgios received a wildcard to the 2014 Wimbledon Championships. After defeating Stéphane Robert in the first round, he went on to beat Richard Gasquet in a five-set second-round thriller; wherein, he lost the first two sets and saved nine match points. In the third round, Kyrgios beat Jiří Veselý, before going on to record the biggest win of his career so far by beating World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets –– becoming the first male debutant to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals since Florian Mayer, in 2004. The 'shot of the match' was a rear-forehand, half-volley winner from between Kyrgios' legs that David Polkinghorne, of The Canberra Times, called "freakish" and "audacious". Kyrgios subsequently lost to Milos Raonic in four sets in the quarterfinals. This Wimbledon performance helped Kyrgios break into the top 100 of the ATP World Rankings for the first time in his career: i.e. Kyrgios' ranking rose to No. 66. Post-Wimbledon, at the Rogers Cup tournament in Toronto, Kyrgios earned his first ATP World Tour Masters event win, with a first round victory over Santiago Giraldo in straight sets. However, Kyrgios lost in the second round to Andy Murray, winning just four games.
Kyrgios played his first junior match in 2008 at the age of 13 at a grade 4 tournament in Australia. He won his first ITF junior tour title in Fiji in June 2010, aged 15. He started to compete more regularly on the junior tour in 2011, making his junior grand slam debut at the 2011 Australian Open. During 2012 he won two junior grand slam doubles titles and rose to junior world number three, though he withdrew from the Australian Open Men's Wildcard Playoff due to injury. Moving into 2013, he gained the number 1 junior ranking by defeating Wayne Montgomery in the Traralgon International final. A week later he entered the Australian Open as the juniors number 3 seed and progressed to the final against fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis. After saving two set points in the first set, Kyrgios won his first and only junior grand slam title. He also won Wimbledon junior doubles with Kokkinakis.
In 2012, in his first-round qualifying match at the Australian Open, Kyrgios won the first set in a tiebreak, but his opponent Mathieu Rodrigues cruised through the second and third sets to defeat him. Kyrgios then competed on the 2012 ITF Men's Circuit for the rest of the season, competing in tournaments in Australia, Germany, Japan and Slovenia. At the end of the season, he had reached a semifinal and a quarterfinal in Australian tournaments. He finished the year ranked No. 838.
Kyrgios attended Radford College until Year 8 and completed his Year 12 certificate in 2012 at Daramalan College in Canberra. He also played basketball in his early teens before deciding to focus solely on tennis when he was 14 years old. Two years later, he received a full scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport, where he was able to further develop his tennis. In 2013, Kyrgios relocated his training base from Canberra to Melbourne Park in an attempt to further his career with better facilities and hitting partners. A year later, Tennis ACT announced a $27 million redevelopment of the Lyneham Tennis Centre in Canberra to lure Kyrgios back home and host Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties. Kyrgios confirmed in January 2015 that he would return home and base himself in Canberra. He also donated $10,000 towards the redevelopment of the Lyneham Tennis Centre there.
In 2013, he started the season by playing at the 2013 Brisbane International, losing in the first round of qualifying to James Duckworth. He then lost in the first round of qualifying at the 2013 Australian Open to Bradley Klahn in straight sets. After winning the Boys' Singles, Kyrgios said his goal was to reach the top 300 by the end of the year.
In his junior and early professional career, Kyrgios was coached by former Australian professional tennis player and then-ACT national academy coach Todd Larkham, who was Kyrgios' first coach. Larkham had coached Kyrgios from age 10–17. In 2013 it was reported that he was coached by former Australian professional tennis player Desmond Tyson, and later New Zealand tennis coach Simon Rea who worked for Tennis Australia. Under Rea Kyrgios reached a Grand Slam Quarter-final (Wimbledon) for the first time in his career. In 2014 Kyrgios was re-united with former coach Todd Larkham alongside former Australian professional doubles player Joshua Eagle. Kyrgios' cited reasons to change coaches were to spend more time at his home in Canberra. In June 2015 Kyrgios parted with Larkham, less than a week before his appearance at Wimbledon. Two months later, in the lead-up to the US Open, Kyrgios brought in Lleyton Hewitt for temporary coaching and mentoring.
Kyrgios later qualified for the 2013 US Open, where he was beaten by fourth seed David Ferrer in his opening match. He reached a new career high of No. 186 on 9 September 2013. In October, Kyrgios made the semifinal of the 2013 Sacramento Challenger, before falling to Tim Smyczek. He ended the year with a singles ranking of 182.
Kyrgios made his Davis Cup debut for Australia in September 2013 against Poland at the age of 18. He replaced Marinko Matosevic after defeating him in a playoff during the lead-up to the tie. He was selected to pair with Chris Guccione in the crucial doubles rubber. They lost to Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in five sets. He then went on to win his first singles rubber, after Michał Przysiężny retired five games into the match. Australia won the tie 4–1.
In 2014 Australia was drawn to play a very strong France and lost the tie 5-0. Kyrgios lost both his singles matches against Richard Gasquet and Gaël Monfils. Australia was relegated to the World Group Play-offs and were drawn against Uzbekistan in September. Australia beat Uzbekistan 5–0. Kyrgios won both his matches against Denis Istomin and Sanjar Faiyziez. Australia returned to the World Group.
Kyrgios withdrew from the Melbourne Summer Set ATP 250 tournament after feeling run down for four days due to asthma. On January 10, he tested positive for COVID-19 and also had to withdraw from the Sydney Tennis Classic. As a result, he dropped to No. 114 on the ATP rankings, the first time he had been out of the top 100 since June 2014.
In 2015 Kyrgios was selected to play in the quarter finals against Kazakhstan. He lost his singles match in 4 close sets, was injured and was then replaced by Sam Groth in the reverse singles rubber. Australia won the tie 3–2. He was dropped from the Davis Cup squad due to play their semi-final tie against Great Britain. Australia lost 2-3. He returned to the Davis Cup team in September 2016 for Australia's emphatic World Group playoff victory against Slovakia. Kyrgios won his singles tie in straight sets.
In 2017, the ATP rated Kyrgios as the fifth best server in the history of professional tennis – with better results than current players such as Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. He reaches speeds up to 230 km/h (140 mph) and wins 78.8% of his first-serve points. His second serve is also one of the best on the ATP Tour and often hit at above 200 km/h (120 mph). He sometimes tries for aces, on both his first and second serves. Goran Ivanišević has said "[Kyrgios] is a tennis genius. You can't prepare for Nick Kyrgios, he is the best server in the game by far. It's impossible to create tactics [against him]."
In 2017 Australia was drawn to play the Czech Republic in the first round and won the tie 4–1. Kyrgios won his singles match in straight sets.
Kyrgios has had a number of different coaches and mentors throughout his career. He tends to try one coach and then another, but prefers to do things his own way. In an interview with The New Yorker in 2017, he said: "Every coach I had tried to tame me, tried to make me play more disciplined, tried to make me do drills. I've just been kind of playing on instinct. I feel like it's been successful, so I don't know why there's a good reason to stop that."
Some commentators believe Kyrgios is more committed than he claims. After a string of successes in 2017, Kyrgios attributed his greater consistency that year to an improved work ethic. He said: "I've made an effort to try and put in the work every day. It hasn't been easy." However, he continues to cause controversy on the court. Hugh van Cuylenburg, founder of the Resilience Project in Australia says Kyrgios is deliberately provocative and thrives when there is chaos around him: "Some people thrive in a hostile environment because it tricks them into the right level of arousal and reminds them of how much they care and how much they want to win – and Kyrgios is one of those."
Kyrgios continued not having a coach for the remainder of 2015 and throughout 2016. In May 2017, almost two years without a coach, Kyrgios hired French former professional tennis player Sébastien Grosjean. Grosjean was allegedly hired on a part-time basis, and held the position until the end of the year. Since 2017 Kyrgios has been without a head coach, and in 2020 stated: "And, for me, I don't have a goal of winning grand slams. I just want to do it my way, have fun with it and just play. So to get a coach for me is just pointless. Because I don't want to waste their time almost. I just don't think a coach is ready – and I'm not going to put them through it too cause it would just be a nightmare. Where I'm at my career now, it's just too far gone, I think for a coach, 'cause I'm too set in my ways and I just don't like to listen to advice, to be honest."
In 2018 Australia was drawn to play Germany in the World Group first round. Kyrgios again led the team and beat Jan-Lennard Struff in three sets. Needing pain killers to continue the next day, he played Alexander Zverev but lost his match in straight sets. Australia lost the tie 3–1.
Things became so difficult for him that Kyrgios posted on Instagram that in 2018 he suffered from depression and engaged in self-harm and had suicidal ideation. In an interview on the Turn Up The Talk podcast, he explained that in 2019, even when he was winning tournaments: "[I was] probably drinking 20 to 30 drinks every night – you know, just in my room on my own – waking up [and] playing." Kyrgios said that "winning tournaments seemed to 'just mask all of it', which was the 'darkest thing ever'." Struggling to cope, he sought professional help and saw three or four different psychologists.
In 2019, Kyrgios was left out of the Davis Cup team for their qualifier in Adelaide, which they won against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was re-added to the team later in the year for the Davis Cup Finals in Spain. In Spain, he won his singles rubbers against Colombia and Belgium to advance to the quarter-finals against Canada. He then withdrew from the quarter-finals due to a collar bone injury and was replaced by John Millman. Australia ended up losing the tie 1–2.
Kyrgios is now known as a talented but mercurial and hot-tempered player. He has been accused of tanking, verbal abuse, and unsportsmanlike conduct by umpires, match referees, the media and by former tennis players, including John McEnroe. In 2019, the Associated Press described Kyrgios as "a volatile sort who has repeatedly got in trouble for on-court actions". He is also known for his authenticity and individuality, and has been described by three-time Wimbledon champion John Newcombe as an "exceptional talent" and "a real individual".
In May 2019, Kyrgios was interviewed by New York Times tennis writer Ben Rothenberg on his long-running podcast No Challenges Remaining, episode 226. During this frank and at times revealing discussion Kyrgios explained the background behind some of his early controversial incidents.
In 2020, Kyrgios entered into a relationship with Chiara Passari, separating in late 2021 after police had to separate the two in a hotel quarantine argument.
Kyrgios played in the inaugural ATP Cup in 2020 in Brisbane and in the Sydney finals. He won three straight singles matches against Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Cameron Norrie of Great Britain respectively, as well as a doubles match alongside Alex de Minaur to defeat Great Britain in the quarter-finals. He eventually lost to Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-finals against Spain in straight sets.
In June 2020, Kyrgios publicly criticized Djokovic for organizing the controversial charity tennis tournament at which Djokovic and numerous other tennis players tested positive for COVID-19, calling it a "boneheaded decision".
In October 2020, Kyrgios appeared in the inaugural episode of ABC's show Reputation Rehab, a reality TV show which aimes to rescue public figures from a lifetime of cancellation.
Davis Cup was not held during the pandemic and Australia was eliminated in 2021. Kyargios ended his season early due to a knee injury and was unavailable. During 2022 Kyrgios was not available due to overplaying and ankle injury. Australia reached the finals under Alex de Minaur but lost. Kyrgios was chosen for the 2023 United Cup but was unable to play because of an ankle injury. A few weeks later he had major surgery on his knee.
In 2022, it was announced that Kyrgios was summoned to appear in court, in Australia on 2 August 2022, to face a charge of common assault, for allegedly grabbing Passari in January 2021.
In January 2021, Kyrgios called Djokovic a "tool" after he issued a wish-list of requirements for players forced to quarantine when they arrive in the country to play in the Australian Open. A year later, when Djokovic was detained by the Australian government after entering the country unvaccinated, Kyrgios was the first and most notable player to speak up for his predicament, declaring: "He's a human, I just don't think how we're going about it is the right way and that's coming from someone who we've had run in and comments about each other, but it's not right." He also praised Djokovic for his generous response to the bush fire disasters.
Kyrgios then competed for Team World at the Laver Cup for the fourth consecutive year. He lost his singles match to Stefanos Tsitsipas and partnered with John Isner in doubles, where they lost to Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev. After the conclusion of the Laver Cup, on 28 September 2021, Kyrgios announced he was ending his 2021 season due to a knee injury.
Kyrgios was previously in a relationship with Croatian-Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanović. In December 2021, Kyrgios started dating social-media influencer and interior designer Costeen Hatzi.
Kyrgios produced some of the best performances of his career at Wimbledon in 2022. After losing to Djokovic in the final, Kyrgios said: "It's taken me 10 years – almost 10 years – in my career to finally get to the point of playing for a grand slam and coming up short, but my level is right there." When asked if this had made him hungry for more grand slam finals, he replied "no, it was exhausting!", provoking laughter among the crowds.
At age 19, ranked 144th in the world, he received a wildcard entry to play at Wimbledon and beat then-world No. 1 Nadal in the fourth round. Beating Nadal, the first time he played against him, brought international attention. From then on he was told: "you're the next big thing in tennis." Kyrgios admits he didn't know how to deal with the pressure. He told the Turn Up the Talk podcast in May 2022: "I kept trying, trying and trying, just ended up snowballing into this dark cloud."
In June 2022, after Djokovic beat Kyrgios in the Wimbledon final, Kyrgios called Djokovic "a bit of a god" after which Djokovic jokingly declared his relationship with Nick Kyrgios "officially a bromance".
In 2023, Kyrgios pled guilty to the assault charge but was not convicted, as Magistrate Beth Campbell stated that he had "acted poorly in the heat of the moment", and that the case was "at the lower end of the scale of common assault".
Kyrgios had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in January 2023. The expected recovery time was initially 3 months. He withdrew from Indian Wells and Miami because the rehab process was still ongoing. He was expected to return during the French Open but had a foot injury during an armed robbery at his home. With a single game played in 2023 in the Stuttgart tournament, Kyrgios did not realise this was to be his last match of the year. Kyrgios was then preparing for Wimbledon in June but during a practice session he tore a ligament in his wrist. He spent the rest of 2023 out due to injury and he has announced that he will return for the 2024 grass season.
Kyrgios is an avid fan of the Boston Celtics in the American league, the National Basketball Association (NBA), and a life-long supporter of Tottenham Hotspur in English football's Premier League. Kyrgios also supports the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League (NRL), the North Melbourne in the Australian Football League (AFL), and in January 2023 joined the ownership group of South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian basketball competition, the NBL.
Kyrgios appears in the tennis docuseries Break Point, which premiered on Netflix on January 13, 2023. Kyrgios is highlighted by the series in several episodes. In Episode One, Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis feature in their road to their grand slam doubles title. In Episode Six, two Australian players are featured. Kyrgios' struggles with suicidal thoughts and depression are revealed. In Episode Seven, the 2022 Wimbledon finalists are highlighted including Ons Jabeur and Nick Kyrgios. He praises his opponent Novak Djokovic.
In July 2023 Kyrgios was invited to speak at CNBC X Boardroom's Game Plan Conference for Innovators and Thought Leaders alongside Kevin Durant and Andrew Sorkin on the subject of 'The Future of Tennis and Athlete Brand Building'.
Although Kyrgios has fallen off the rankings (he no longer has any ranking points as of October 2023), he has a protected ranking (PR) of 21 and can use this for 9 months after his return to the tour. He can also accept wild cards to any tournament where he has reached the semi-finals.
In October 2023, Kyrgios was a guest on the Rich Eisen Show, where he discussed the comparison between playing professional tennis and other sports, describing how it felt to be a finalist at Wimbledon and how he was learning to control his temper.
In November 2023 Kyrgios featured on the award-winning podcast The Pivot hosted by NFL heroes Fred Taylor, Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder. The podcast has as its theme 'Accept, Adjust, Move Forward' and uses celebrity sportspersons who are entering this process. The extended interview entitled 'Tennis' Nick Kyrgios, Player vs Human, Outspoken but Never Outmatched', covered Kyrgios's experiences with media treatment and racism, social media hate, discipline, training intensity, imposter syndrome, the origins of 'tanking', despair and mending relationships.
In December 2023 Kyrgios announced that he would be unable to play in the Australian Open in January 2024 due to ongoing injury concerns. Some experts believe that multiple injuries may accelerate his retirement. Mark Phillipousis, also a tall player who had multiple knee injuries, has suggested that it is dangerous to return too soon.
On 1 December 2023, Kyrgios was a guest on the high profile British TalkTV show Piers Morgan Uncensored. Called Piers Morgan vs Nick Kyrgios, the hour-long show covered 'historical spats with Piers, being the 'villain' of tennis and how he used it to be successful, his conflicts with other Australian athletes, how Andy Murray reached out to help him during his darkest moments off the court, his return to tennis, the pressure athletes face in competitive sports, his experience with racism, his mother being held at gunpoint' and the highs and lows of his playing career.' The unfiltered show was very well received and reported in media around the world.
On 11 December 2023, Kyrgios was a guest of Jay Shetty on the American health-themed podcast On Purpose. Kyrgios discussed the exhaustion he experiences in his life as a top-level athlete, the effect of injuries on his lifestyle, and his future in tennis.
In 2024, Kyrgios launched a celebrity-interview series on T2 named Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios.
John McEnroe has also praised Kyrgios's talent. In late 2018 on the Seven Network's Sunday Night show in Australia, McEnroe said that Kyrgios is "the most talented player [he's] seen in the last ten years" but that Kyrgios may "run himself out", if he continued not to commit himself to tennis. While hosting a radio call-in show during the 2021 Wimbledon Championships on BBC Radio 5 Live McEnroe stated that if he could choose any player on the current tour to coach he would pick Kyrgios.