Former British No 1 gives his verdict on Nick Kyrgios getting an Australian Open wild card
Nick Kyrgios is pushing to get a wildcard into the Australian Open next month, but former British No 1 Greg Rusedski is not convinced he deserves a free ticket to the opening Grand Slam of 2026.
Kyrgios has barely played a competitive match in three years as injuries have sidelined the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up, but he is making another attempt to comeback to the ATP Tour in the new year.
At the age of 30, Kyrgios should have time on his side to get back to the top, but his ranking has slipped to No 671 and from the evidence of his ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match against Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday, he did not look ready to play best-of-five-set matches any time soon.
He is due to play his ATP Tour comeback event in Brisbane in the first week of January, but recent history suggests his wrist and knee problems flare up when he tries to play competitive tennis.
Kyrgios looked jaded at times and was sweating profusely during his 6-3, 6-3 win against the world No 1 female player, which inspired former British No 1 Greg Rusedski to suggest the Aussie is not worthy of a prized wildcard into his home Grand Slam event.
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When asked whether he feels Kygrios justifies a wildcard at this stage of his comeback, Rusedski was quick to offer his verdict.
“I wouldn’t,” he said on an Off Court Cuts edition of his podcast. “He’s have to have some phenomenal results. A win in Brisbane. Go deep or get to quarters or semis in the build-up.
“You have to look at all those up-and-coming Australian players and give them the opportunity to play.
“He’s box office. He brings people into stadiums, but he needs to show some form and from today’s performance [against Sabalenka], he doesn’t look ready to play best-of-five-sets.”
After receiving wildcards over the last couple of years and then pulling out of tournaments due to injury, it would be a big risk for Australian Open chief Craig Tiley to give Kyrgios a wildcard into his event and he admits he is waiting to see his progress.
When asked whether Kyrgios would get a wildcard earlier this month, Tiley said: “I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see,” said Tiley.
“He’s playing, which is good, he’s been playing events leading in, and I know he wants to play in the summer.
“So if he wants to play in the summer, it means he wants to play the Australian Open, but there’s still a lot of water that needs to go under the bridge.
“I think he’s beyond the period of a protected ranking, so he’s going to need a wildcard to play as far as I’m concerned.”
A decision on Australian Open wildcards is imminent, so Kyrgios needs to show he is ready to compete on the biggest stages again to ensure he is in the mix.
