For 139 minutes, the fans packed inside John Cain Arena dared to dream. The last time Nick Kyrgios had been seen on the court at a grand slam, he was in action at the business end of the tournament. Could he do it again?
Kyrgios’s long-awaited Australian Open comeback may have ended in straight sets in the first round against Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley, but for both the player and his adoring fans, this was a night neither will soon forget.
There is no show quite like the Kyrgios show in world tennis. Yes, there are better, more disciplined players on tour, but no-one on either the men’s or women’s circuit captures the imagination of the crowd like Kyrgios does, particularly in Australia.
Following his loss to Fearnley, a clearly shattered Kyrgios conceded he might not play another singles match at Melbourne Park.
Kyrgios moved mountains to return to the court after a debilitating wrist injury sidelined him for all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The injury came after he’d stacked up his best year as a pro in 2022, famously reaching the Wimbledon final and the US Open semis.
In a cruel twist, after defying odds to be able to even swing a racquet again, it was an annoying old abdominal strain that proved to literally be the thorn in his side.
At just 29 years old, Kyrgios concedes his body is sadly failing him.
“I continued to stay motivated through all those days when I was watching everyone else play, I was on the couch like in a cast,” he said.
“I stayed motivated. I trained, I was in the gym. I’m in good shape. All the niggles I guess, my body compensating with the wrist, it’s tough.
Nick Kyrgios’s Australian Open return was ultimately delayed by a troublesome abdominal injury. (Getty Images: Graham Denholm)
“It’s not enjoyable for me to go out there and not think tactically, enjoying the atmosphere, where am I going to hit the ball.
“It’s like what am I doing to manage my body, this is painful, I can’t do this because this hurts. That’s not tennis to me. That’s not sport.
“I’m happy to play through a bit of discomfort. When it gets to a point of — I’m one of the biggest servers on tour and I’m getting out-served tonight. My average serve speed was beneath 200 (kilometres per hour).
“I mean, Nick Kyrgios without his serve – I’m not a threat to many players.”
Seeing Kyrgios in action again at his favourite stadium in the world was like seeing that old friend after years.
When you see those old friends, the real ones, the same old jokes are timeless, and the length of time you’ve spent apart seems to disappear almost instantly.
Kyrgios has captivated us and frustrated us, sometimes all at once, since bursting onto the scene in 2014. And on Monday evening against Fearnley, there he was doing it all again.
All the classic hits were on show. He kicked off the match with a nervy double-fault, then immediately followed up with some booming aces to get himself out of trouble. The rollercoaster was underway.
Kyrgios has gotten John Cain Arena to bounce like no other performer, but the energy inside the stadium was different this time.
Kyrgios’s play was hampered by an abdominal strain on the left side of his body. (AAP Image: James Ross)
The crowd collectively had the vibe of a parent watching their child play the first big match of their junior career. There was an increased level of care coupled with anxiety on every point, anxiety that spiked when Kyrgios began clutching at his troublesome abdominal area midway through the opening set.
Fearnley took full advantage of his ailing opponent and raced out to a two-set lead and then went up a break early in the third before something magical happened.
After looking like he would be forced to retire hurt earlier in the contest, Kyrgios found a gear out of nowhere, and with it came some of his best party tricks.
Here was Australia’s favourite tennis showman doing it one more time.
After breaking back to draw level in the third at 3-3, Kyrgios, who had been implored to do so by a fan courtside earlier in the match, finally pulled out his underarm serve, and then followed it with a behind the back return in the same point, which he eventually won. Again, who else but Nick?
The cheer that went up around the stadium after Kyrgios won that point rivalled those that usually follow championship point at the end of the tournament. Fans stomping in their seats made it sound like the stands might come crumbling down.
Kyrgios raised his right hand in the air, pointing his index finger to the heavens and took every bit of the ovation in.
“It was special. Like taking that in, it was pretty good,” he told reporters at Melbourne Park afterwards.
“I kind of was taking everything in tonight in those moments. It was nuts.
“I didn’t want to just throw in the towel and walk off or retire.
Kyrgios was full of respect for Jacob Fearnley after an impressive showing from the Brit. (Getty Images: Kelly Defina)
“I was hurting physically. I respect my opponent. The fans waited hours to come see me play.”
In a sign that bodes extremely well for his young career, Fearnley, 23, withstood that wave and a set point to outpoint Kyrgios in the tiebreaker, sending the Aussie packing.
If this is really it for Kyrgios the singles player, it’s been a hell of a ride.
It was heart-warming that the player chastised by many in his own country as a youngster for apparently “tanking” matches was determined to give his adoring fans a show, knowing full well his ailing body wouldn’t allow him to advance.
Kyrgios did not want to let his adoring fans down by retiring hurt after the first set. (Getty Images: Kelly Defina)
“Honestly, the reason I kept playing, tried to play tonight, was because of the fans,” he said.
“I don’t know how many times I’m going to be back here again.
“That’s why I didn’t have headphones on, I wasn’t listening to music. I walked out there today [and] wanted to hear the crowd. There were some special moments.”
After potentially playing his last game on John Cain Arena, the stadium he’s now made his own, Kyrgios couldn’t help but think of how far his relationship with Australian fans has evolved over the last decade.
“I know towards the start of my career I had a very love-hate relationship with the crowd here,” he recalled.
“I remember getting booed off that court when I lost in five sets. I tried my nuts off, lost in five sets. I remember getting booed off that court.
“Fast forward to the latter stages of my career, I went out there, [at] I would say 65 per cent of my capacity.
“For them to really see me fighting and still giving me that energy, it meant a lot, because I feel like I’ve given my life to tennis and I’ve tried to give them a show every time I go out there.
“I know I didn’t do that tonight. There are moments for me that are special that I won’t forget.
“Really, they were tagging me in [Instagram] stories beforehand, [saying] we waited four or five hours to line up.
“That was a big motivation for me tonight to not throw the towel in and just shake my opponent’s hand after the first set.
Aussie wildcards put on a show on day two of the AO
“There was no way my abdominal was going to get better. We knew that. I really enjoyed the way the crowd gave me energy.
“I wanted to give them two-and-a-half hours of tennis rather than a retirement. That’s s***.”
Whenever Kyrgios does call it quits, he will become one of the great, “What if?” players in the history of the sport. There have been very few players with more natural talent than the Australian.
What if he’d been able to win a grand slam singles title? What if he’d been a little bit fitter? What if he’d had a full-time coach? These are all very legitimate questions when unpacking the Kyrgios legacy.
But that should not take away from the fact that the tour, and particularly the Australian Open, will be worse off when Kyrgios is no longer active. The adoring thousands who packed into John Cain Arena to watch a hobbled Kyrgios is proof of that.
Kyrgios has introduced an entirely new crowd to tennis, and his impact on the sport in Australia will be truly felt in generations to come.
Even if he’s forced to retire, Kyrgios won’t disappear into obscurity. He’s been a constant in our lives for the last decade and will remain a constant in some shape or form, just not on the court.
He’s one of the most active athletes on social media, and has a ready-made career as a commentator and analyst waiting for him when he decides to put down the racquet.
We hope Kyrgios returns to whip up John Cain Arena into a frenzy once again in 2026.
But if he doesn’t, it has been one hell of a ride.
