Aussie legend gives his verdict on Nick Kyrgios’ comeback and insists there can be ‘no excuses’

Kevin Palmer 05 Jan 2026 9:00 PM

Pat Cash speaks to Tennis365 about Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios missed a big chance to send out a message to men’s tennis with his performance in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match against Aryna Sabalenka, according to Australian tennis legend Pat Cash.

Kyrgios is pushing to claim a wildcard at the Australian Open later this month, but there are big doubts over the fitness levels of a player who has struggled with a succession of injuries and hardly played any matches over the last three years.

He is now on the comeback trail once again at the age of 30 and is playing his ATP Tour comeback event in Brisbane this week, which he hopes will give him a chance to claim a ticket to the first Grand Slam of this New Year.

While Kyrgios is a big draw and may be popular with Australian fans attending the tournament in Melbourne, plenty of high-profile voices have suggested he does not deserve to be awarded a wildcard by Tennis Australia.

Now, 1987 Wimbledon champion Cash has joined the debate, as he spoke exclusively to Tennis365 in his role as an ambassador for this week’s Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open.

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“I remember this great advice given to me by a former Australian Open runner-up, Kim Warwick,” began Cash, speaking to Tennis365.

“He had a terrible arm and elbow problem and he came back on the tour and I remember saying to him, ‘oh my God, you look so fit’.

“He said, ‘mate, the elbow doesn’t stop me running’. He’d been running and sprinting and jumping and leg pressing, doing all that kind of stuff. It doesn’t stop me getting faster or stronger.

“I can’t say that was the same case for Nick. There is no excuse, unless you haven’t got your heart right in it, to come back absolutely ripped. He didn’t look bad, but when you come back on tour, you have to make a statement.

“There is no denying his talent and his shots, so to come back looking really fit would have been a sign. All the other players would have said ‘gee, he looks good, I’m not going to outlast him’. But that doesn’t look like the situation.

“We will see after six months of playing matches because he should be fitter and in great form. And he is a danger, certainly on a fast court like grass. That is something you would think he would have a goal towards.”

Cash was unimpressed by the entire spectacle of the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ clash between Kyrgios and women’s world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and he suggested the straight sets win for his compatriot was a blow to the WTA Tour.

Iga Swiatek’s 6-0, 6-0 win against Amanda Anisimova in last year’s Wimbledon final was a blow to the credibility of the women’s game and Cash suggests the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match may have a similarly negative impact.

“I watched a little bit of it just to sort of get an idea of the set-up and I think they had a massive failure as far as the court was concerned,” he added.

“When Jimmy Connors played Martina Navratilova a few years ago, he had more court to cover and that was a decent contest, so they would have to tweak that.

“Then having one serve. If you want to even it up, she’s got to have two serves. That is one of the big strengths of her games.

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“Nick was just playing it safe and he knew that if he kept rallying Aryna would make a mistake.

“You know, I was a little bit concerned that people would be saying what they are saying now. How can a guy who has won one match in three years beat the world No 1 on a smaller court in straight sets?

“Sure, it was just a bit of fun and it was a good spectacle, but on the back of the Wimbledon final that was just a disaster of a match, with one player in Swiatek playing amazingly and Anisimova being very nervous, I’m not sure we needed this (Sabalenka vs Kyrgios) match.

“What they didn’t want is exactly what happened, unfortunately. These matches will come and go and we shouldn’t take them too seriously, but it certainly hasn’t helped the WTA Tour at all.

“It is a great tour, there are lots of players who can win the Grand Slams and in the end, I was a bit disappointed by it all. It was just a whole bunch of money to be made for the players.”

Kyrios will need a wild card to get into the Australian Open and his current ATP Ranking is down at No 671 and he insists he is not

“I don’t want to be that player that takes opportunities away from young people that have been really working towards this moment of having a wildcard,” said Kyrgios.

“As I said, a couple of the boys before, (John) Millman gave his wildcard up for me at the French Open (in 2013) when he was injured and he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, and that’s where everything kicked off for me, my whole career.

“Basically, after that moment, I became a different player mentality-wise, and physically, I learned so much. I knew physically I was so far behind the 8 Ball. I knew mentally I believed I could win, but I had so much work to do.

“If I’m feeling great and I get through this week and I feel I can perform at the Australian Open and really enjoy it and give the people – they are paying good money to be there.

“If I’m not able to give them the Kyrgios experience, then I would genuinely rather give it to someone who earned the wildcard and really is in tip-top shape to start off something special in their career.”