'I'd rather give my spot': Nick Kyrgios set to miss 2026 Australian Open
NewsFriday, 09 January 2026 at 13:30
Nick Kyrgios will not compete in singles at the 2026 Australian Open after opting to give his wild card spot to someone else.
Kyrgios hasn't played a lot in recent years. As a result, his ranking on the ATP Tour dropped to No. 670, which makes him ineligible to enter any tournament or qualifying on the Tour. That also means he wasn't able to enter this year's Australian Open and had to rely on a wild card.
As one of the most exciting Australian players in recent years, Kyrgios probably didn't doubt his chances of getting a wild card from Tennis Australia. However, with a few days left before the tournament starts and only three wild cards left, the conversation started to intensify.
On top of that, the 2014 champion, Stan Wawrinka, who is set to retire from tennis this year, didn't make it into the main draw either, with fans pressuring Tennis Australia to give the Swiss player a wild card. The final decision about the last three men's singles wild card recipients came on Friday, January 9th, 2026.
Australians Christopher O'Connell and Jordan Thompson were given the first two wild cards, with only one left for either Wawrinka or Kyrgios. Paradoxically, the two had a huge disagreement years ago at the Canadian Open.
Ultimately, the tournament organizers chose to grant the wild card to Wawrinka, seemingly after multiple conversations with Kyrgios. The Australian made a social media post, announcing he would miss singles at this year's Australian Open after opting to leave the wild card spot to "someone who's ready to make their moment count."
"After some good conversations with Tennis Australia, I've made the call to focus on doubles for this year's Australian Open. I'm fit and back on court, but five-setters are a different beast and I'm not quite ready to go the distance yet."
"This tournament means everything to me, but - I'd rather give my spot to someone who's ready to make their moment count. It's all building blocks, and I'll be back next year and pumped to compete. See you out there."
Nick Kyrgios will still compete at the 2026 Australian Open
Despite missing the main competition, Kyrgios will still appear at the Australian Open. He is set to team up with fellow compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis in the doubles tournament. The duo, known as Special K's, won the tournament in 2022.
They have already appeared on the court together this year, competing at the Brisbane International. The Australians won their first match against Matthew Ebden and Rajeev Ram 5-7, 6-4, 10-8. However, they then lost in a wild second-round match against Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 0-6, 6-1, 6-10.
In Melbourne, they will try to entertain the local crowd once again, but also prove they have what it takes to win the Australian Open once again, unless injuries stand in their way.
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