For months, the tennis world waited with bated breath for Nick Kyrgios’ return to Melbourne Park – wondering whether 2026 would mark his dance on home soil. There was a sense of inevitability to the anticipation, as if the Australian summer wasn’t truly complete until Kyrgios, raw and unpredictable, stepped onto the court and lit the fuse. But on Friday, the familiar script shifted. Again. The 30-year-old Aussie star released a statement on his IG stories, confirming his absence at the singles event of the 2026 AO.

“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.”

Back in October 2025, we saw Nick Kyrgios say that he’ll probably play the AO in some way. Although he wasn’t even sure about the events he would feature at the 2026 AO at that time, he was still committed to the project. His intention was just to say a “goodbye” at the AO at least one more time. Currently ranked 670th in the world, Kyrgios needed a wildcard to feature in the first Grand Slam event of the 2026 season. Despite Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley’s statement of “wait and see” surrounding the possibilities of Kyrgios’ wildcard at AO, there were a few question marks raised by several tennis bigwigs.

Renowned tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg wasn’t too optimistic about this. In fact, he even released a statement surrounding Kyrgios’ chances of getting a wildcard at the 2026 AO. “Nick Kyrgios is not getting an Australian Open singles wildcard after all, which he frames as his own choice in this statement.” Did this issue play a role, forcing Kyrgios to take this bold step?

We don’t know! But the 2022 Wimbledon finalist has also assured his fans that his Australian Open chapter, especially in the singles event, is far from being over. “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.”

With Nick Kyrgios removing himself from singles consideration, the tournament moved ahead with its wildcard announcements: Jordan Thompson, Chris O’Connell, and Stan Wawrinka. All three will now assume the spotlight Kyrgios has vacated. However, none will command the same noise, unpredictability, or gravitational pull.

The men’s doubles at the 2026 AO begins on Monday, 19 January. So, fans have to wait a bit to see him in action alongside his compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis in the doubles event. Remember, these two won the 2022 AO doubles event? So, who knows, we might again see “Special K’s” at their best in Melbourne! But both these players recently faced a setback in Brisbane.

Nick Kyrgios’ return in 2026 didn’t go as well as he’d have wanted

For a player who has built his career on explosive moments, electrifying crowds, and head-turning comebacks, Nick Kyrgios’ long-awaited return to singles tennis in 2026 unfolded with an unfamiliar softness. A straight-sets defeat (3-6, 4-6) at the hands of America’s Aleksander Kovacevic sent him out of the singles draw earlier than anyone hoped. That defeat also raised a few concerns ahead of the AO. But although the result didn’t go his way, Kyrgios stated that he had a lot of fun playing in front of the Australian crowd once again.

Later on, when he was asked what motivates him now, the Aussie didn’t sugarcoat it. “There was a time where I won this tournament, and now, even just going out there, there is no shame in losing.” He spoke openly about the fear of failures that often grips modern athletes – and how he refuses to be held hostage by it. And then came a rare, unfiltered truth…

“We say that money is not, I mean, not everything, and it’s not a motivation, but from where I started with in my life and my tennis career, it’s a lot of my motivation. My parents were not wealthy growing up at all. It is a big motivation of mine to continue to be around and make as much money as possible. I don’t think there is shame in saying that either.”

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis looked sharp in their first match at the 2026 Brisbane International against Matthew Ebden and Rajeev Ram. The Australian duo had the chance to add a few more bucks to their bags, but unfortunately for them, they had to go down to the French duo of Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul in the R16. They defeated Kyrgios-Kokkinakis by 6-0, 1-6, 10-6. What did Kyrgios say after this defeat?

“I want to play a lot of doubles this year with Thanasi, and I think this was a good indicator. A couple of points here and there in that match decided it. It sucks that we lost that match because I feel like we were the better team.”

And despite the early exit, there’s still a sense that Kyrgios isn’t done writing chapters. Who knows, this flamboyant Aussie could well come up with a few surprises this year itself.

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