Nick Kyrgios returns to singles after nine months sidelined
Nick Kyrgios put a foot back on a singles court, nine months after he last played. A return everyone had circled. Like a trailer you rewind over and over. The opening scene didn’t match the dream script. In Brisbane, on home soil, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist stepped back into the light and watched it wobble. Beaten by Aleksandar Kovacevic, world No.58, 6-3, 6-4 in straight sets, the Aussie had a comeback that tasted like sand. Not bitter. Not sweet either.
Dream Brisbane debut ✅
Kovacevic speeds past Kyrgios 6-3 6-4 in only 65 minutes!#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/YDsJLRuLlD
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 6, 2026
Kyrgios beaten, but not broken
In the mixed zone he didn’t look crushed. No closed-off face. No deep gloom. The same mix of looseness, jokes and blunt honesty that’s been his trademark for a decade.
“Look, it’s a train,” he said, half-smirk. Cryptic. A touch philosophical. Classic Kyrgios.
He said he’d spoken with Daniil Medvedev in the locker room. The Russian apparently reminded him of the brutal logic of coming back from injury.
“You play a match like that every now and then, and it won’t always go your way.”
Simple. Realistic. Can’t argue with it.
A comeback that’s anything but hollow
This was his first ATP singles match in what felt like forever. His ranking sits at an improbable 670, but his feel hasn’t lost its bite. A few flashes reminded everyone why he’s still seen as one of the purest natural talents of his generation.
His aim is crystal.
“As long as I feel good and can build from this, that’s my goal. Not just for the Australian Open, but for the whole year.”
This Kyrgios isn’t selling pipe dreams. He talks work. Steps. Rebuild.
The wildcard that keeps a whole country on edge
Then there’s the big question over the Australian Open. Melbourne without Kyrgios isn’t quite Melbourne. The tournament starts January 18, and he’s still waiting on an invite. Tension rises.
Because Kyrgios on a big night lifts a stadium, gets fans screaming, turns rallies into chaos. He’s the sort of player who can tilt a match with one flash of genius.
Even off-colour, he still carries that possibility.
A new, almost composed attitude
Most striking was the almost unsettling calm. Kyrgios talks stability, repetition, stringing matches together. Two words you wouldn’t normally peg him for.
“I want to play as much as possible. We’ll see how it goes.”
No punchlines. No provocation. Just realism.
The road will be long, bumpy, maybe frustrating. The body has to follow. The head too. But Kyrgios seems ready to accept the process — to even embrace it.
A story begging to be written
Modern tennis lacks real characters who can light up a court and set debates alight. Kyrgios is one of them.
In Brisbane there was no magic. Not yet. But there was a base, hunger, a solid first step.
The months ahead will tell if this comeback is a last dance or the start of a rebirth. Kyrgios moves on without looking back. And even if the train takes a while to get going, sometimes one burst is enough to kick an entire season into life.
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