Nick Kyrgios, Matteo Berrettini, Daniela Hantuchova lead 2026 Kooyong Classic field

Nick Kyrgios's attempts at staying active are scheduled to continue at the 2026 Kooyong Classic, an exhibition from January 13th to 15th.

The controversial Australian made a return to ATP singles action at the start of 2025 with appearances at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open, losing to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Jack Draper.

Unfortunately, Kyrgios's troublesome wrist, which kept him sidelined for so long, remains a significant problem. He was in pain during those matches and in subsequent contests at the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open.

Kyrgios has not played singles since his defeat in Miami to Karen Khachanov. Despite constant physical struggles, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up wants to stay involved in the sport in whatever capacity possible.

That was shown when a battle of the sexes match between Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka was announced for December 28th in Dubai. The concept was met with mixed reactions from fans and analysts.

It is unclear whether Kyrgios plans to use the Kooyong Classic as part of another ATP comeback attempt or if he has accepted that playing in exhibitions to draw and entertain fans is the limit of his ability now.

Karen Khachanov has also committed to the Kooyong exhibition. His most notable moment of 2025 was reaching the final of the 2025 Canadian Open, losing a thrilling battle against Ben Shelton in a deciding-set tiebreak.

Lorenzo Musetti is the highest-ranked player on the entry list. The Italian's achievements included qualifying for the 2025 ATP Finals after Novak Djokovic decided not to compete at the year-end championships.

Djokovic took that decision after winning a lengthy 2025 Athens Open final against Musetti. It was the 23-year-old's sixth consecutive loss in finals. His defeat at the final hurdle in Chengdu led to him crying.

Alexander Bublik will try to hit the ground running next year at the Kooyong Classic. The Kazakhstani's career-best 2025 included four titles, including at the 2025 Halle Open, a run that contained beating Jannik Sinner in the semifinal.

Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli were Team Italy's talismen during its 2025 Davis Cup triumph in Bologna. Jannik Sinner and Musetti's withdrawals proved not to be an issue, and those local heroes have also signed up for the Kooyong Classic.

Hubert Hurkacz and Marin Cilic are among the other ATP players who signed up. WTA representation comes from Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic and former Australian Open semifinalist Daniela Hantuchova.

Since February 2022, ATP and WTA tournaments in Russia and Belarus have been banned because of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. That conflict remains ongoing, with some recent hopes of a peace deal being reached.

An exhibition in St. Petersburg has been held each year since Russian ATP and WTA events were suspended. Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik, Karen Khachanov, and Diana Shnaider all participated in the 2025 iteration.

The Russian-born Medvedev explained why he played in it during an interview, but any words from him will not reduce the anger of Ukrainian players toward those who went to the exhibition.