Australian, Wimbledon, Big 3, Foundation: Everything you always wanted to know about Nick Kyrgios (but never had time to find out): updated with UTS New York entry
Nick Kyrgios, who has his own Foundation for underprivileged kids, was the 2022 Wimbledon finalist and is a seven-time ATP singles champion. Here’s everything you need to know about him
AI / REUTERS / PANORAMIC
Who is Nick Kyrgios?
Nick Kyrgios (full name – Nicholas Hilmy Kyrgios) is an Australian tennis player who competes on the ATP Tour. He was born in Canberra, Australia, and currently resides in Canberra and Melbourne.
When is Kyrgios expected to return to the ATP Tour?
Kyrgios has played just one match on the tour in 2023. The 27-year-old pulled out of the Australian Open in January 2023 due to a knee injury, for which he underwent surgery on January 23.
While the Australian had targeted a return to the tour in March in time for the Sunshine Double – Indian Wells and Miami – he delayed his comeback to ensure a complete recovery. Kyrgios pulled out of the French Open and though he played one match in Stuttgart, he then missed Wimbledon and the US Open with a wrist injury.
During his debut as a commentator on the Tennis Channel during the 2023 ATP Finals, Kyrgios revealed that it would be a few more weeks before he could remove a splinter in his serving forearm, leaving him in a race against time to get fit for the 2024 Australian Open.
In December 2023, Kyrgios then confirmed that he would not be fit enough to compete at the 2024 Australian Open, meaning he would miss his home major for the second year in a row.
In March, 2024, he said he hoped to return to the ATP Tour in the next month or so.
Has Nick Kyrgios ever played UTS?
No. Kyrgios had been due to make his debut in UTS in 2023 at the Los Angeles event in July. Injury forced him to withdraw, though he acted as a coach for Frances Tiafoe. He was then due to play in UTS Seoul in early December, but was not fit to return to action at that point. UTS Seoul was then cancelled by organisers.
However, Kyrgios has been confirmed as one of the eight players for UTS New York, which will be held just before the US Open, on Aug 22-23, at the legendary Forest Hills, which hosted the US Open until 1978.
Kyrgios will be called “King Kyrgios” for UTS, having explained that he has used the name for his social media handles since childhood, but thinks his fans took it on as a nickname for him after he beat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the first time of asking.
Has Nick Kyrgios won Wimbledon?
No. But he came close in 2022. The Aussie reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2014. However, in 2022 he placed major emphasis on performing well on the grass. After his second-round win at Wimbledon he told the crowd that he believed Wimbledon was his best chance to win a Slam.
Kyrgios reached the final at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career at Wimbledon 2022, but lost to Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on July 10, 2022.
Why else was Nick Kyrgios in the news at Wimbledon?
During the final, Kyrgios told the umpire he was being put off by a fan, Anna Palus, whom he said “looked like she has had about 700 drinks”. Palus launched a legal case to prove her innocence and on November 4, it was announced that Kyrgios had agreed to settle the case, admitting he was wrong and agreeing to pay £20,000 to a children’s charity, chosen by Palus.
On July 6, 2022, an Australian newspaper reported that Kyrgios has been summonsed to appear at a magistrates court on August 2 on an accusation of common assault, relating to a former girlfriend, Chiara Passari, during an argument in his hometown of Canberra in January 2021.
The Australian pleaded guilty in the Australian Capital Territory Magistrates Court to assaulting Passari. However, Magistrate Beth Campbell did not record a conviction against Kyrgios for reasons including that the offense was at the low end of seriousness for a common assault, was not premeditated and he had no criminal record.
Who are Nick Kyrgios’ parents?
Nick’s father, George, is Greek and a painter while his mother, Norlaila, is Malaysian and a retired computer engineer. He also has two siblings – Christos and Halimah.
How old is Nick Kyrgios?
Kyrgios, who stands at 6ft 4in (1.93 m) tall, was born on April 27, 1995, and is currently 28 years old.
Was Kyrgios a good junior?
Kyrgios is a former world No 1 in the juniors. He partnered with Andrew Harris to win the Roland-Garros boys’ doubles event and the Wimbledon boys’ doubles event in 2012.
In 2013, he won the Australian Open boys singles title and the Wimbledon boys doubles title (with best friend Thanasi Kokkinakis).
What is Nick Kyrgios’ highest ranking?
Kyrgios’ highest singles ranking is No 13, which he first achieved in October 2016 – having won three ATP singles titles that year. His current ranking and ranking history are available on his ATP Tour profile page.
How many ATP titles has Nick Kyrgios won?
Kyrgios has won seven ATP Tour singles titles with all of them coming on hard courts -Tokyo, Atlanta, and Marseille in 2016, Brisbane in 2018, Acapulco and Washington in 2019, and most recently the Citi Open in 2022.
He has also won four doubles titles – in Lyon in 2018 and in Washington in 2022 with Jack Sock, and the 2022 Australian Open and in Atlanta with countryman and close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis.
What is Kyrgios’ record against the Big 3?
Kyrgios is 2-1 lifetime against Novak Djokovic, 3-6 against Rafael Nadal, and 1-6 against Roger Federer.
He is one of two players, along with Lleyton Hewitt, to win his first career meeting with Nadal (2014 Wimbledon), Federer (2015 Madrid), and Djokovic (2017 Acapulco).
What is Nick Kyrgios’ best performance at a Grand Slam?
Kyrgios’ best performance at a Grand Slam has been reaching the final at Wimbledon in 2022. The Aussie scored a five-set win over Britain’s Paul Jubb in the first round before scoring back-to-back upset wins over Filip Krajinovic (26th seed) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (4th seed) to reach the second week.
The Australian then defeated Brandon Nakashima and Cristian Garin, before Rafael Nadal gave him a walkover to the final due to an abdominal tear. In the final, he was defeated by Djokovic in four sets.
Kyrgios has also reached the quarter-finals at SW19 on two occasions. He first made the last eight at Wimbledon in 2014, where he received a wildcard. He scored a five-set win over 13th seed Richard Gasquet after saving nine match points, and then beat world No 1 Rafael Nadal in four sets to become the first male debutant to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Florian Mayer in 2004.
He also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in 2015 and reached the last eight at the US Open in 2022, beating then-world No 1 Daniil Medvedev along the way.
What does the Nick Kyrgios Foundation do?
The Australian created the Nick Kyrgios Foundation (NKF) in support of underprivileged youth. Nick says his vision is: “to build a facility for disadvantaged and underprivileged kids where they could hang out, be safe and feel like they were part of a family. There’d be tennis courts and basketball courts and a gym and oval to kick the footy. There’d be food to eat and beds to sleep in.”
Kyrgios also played an important role in highlighting the bushfire crisis in Australia in 2021, which led to the Rally for Bushfire Relief, donating more than $33,000, and personally delivered food to the needy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How much prize money has Kyrgios won in his career?
Kyrgios has won more than $12.48 million in career prize money. You can find his updated prize money stats on his ATP Tour profile page.
Does Nick Kyrgios like basketball?
Kyrgios loves watching and playing basketball. His favourite NBA team is the Boston Celtics. Kyrgios was deeply moved by the sudden death of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant in 2020.
Is Kyrgios a fan of online gaming?
The Australian is a big fan of online gaming and considers himself “the best gamer on the tennis tour”.
Who is Nick Kyrgios dating?
The Australian is currently reported to be dating Costeen Hatzi. Hatzi is a blogger and founder of her own brand Casa Amor Interiors, which provides minimalist home decor.
Kyrgios has earlier dated tennis players Ajla Tomljanovic and Anna Kalinskaya and was also dating Chiara Passari at one point.
Is Kyrgios on social media?
Kyrgios is active on social media. He updates his fans mostly via Instagram (more than 4.2 million followers) and X (formerly known as Twitter) (more than 636,000 followers). He also has his personal website.
