Kyrgios Shifts Focus to Doubles at Australian Open Amid Injury Concerns
Nick Kyrgios has announced he will not compete in the singles competition at the Australian Open, opting instead to partner with Thanasi Kokkinakis in the doubles event. The decision comes as the Australian star continues to manage ongoing injury issues and a limited match schedule.
Kyrgios, plagued by injuries, revealed his decision via social media, stating he “made the call to focus on doubles” and acknowledged he was “not quite ready to go the distance” in the physically demanding best-of-five set singles format. He had hoped to secure a late wildcard entry into the Melbourne Park tournament, which begins on January 18th.
The 30-year-old has battled wrist and knee injuries since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2022, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. He recently suffered a first-round defeat at the Brisbane International, having played just six official singles matches in the last three years. “after some good conversations with (Tennis Australia), I’ve made the call to focus on doubles at this year’s AO,” Kyrgios wrote. “I’m fit and back on court, but five-setters are a different beast
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis enjoyed a remarkable run to the australian Open doubles title in 2022 and have already begun their partnership, winning their opening match at the Brisbane International this week. That match, Kyrgios’s first on the ATP tour in 167 days, saw Kokkinakis return after a pectoral injury sustained in January 2025. They defeated Matthew Ebden and Rajeev Ram 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 before losing in the second round to Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul.
“This is a stepping stone,” Kyrgios said following their initial win. “I actually just spoke to Daniil Medvedev in the locker room, and he’s like, ‘look, you play one match every now and then, it’s not going to be the way you want it all the time’.” He added, “As long as I feel good and I’m going to be able to try and use it as a building block, that’s my goal obviously, and not just Australian Open but this year, for whatever this year holds, I do want to continue to play as much as I can.”
A brief incident during their doubles return in Brisbane saw Kyrgios accidentally strike a ball kid with a forehand. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example_brisbane_ballkid_incident]
The decision to prioritize doubles comes amidst scrutiny of Kyrgios’s recent competitive activity. Currently ranked 670th in the world, he has been more visible on the exhibition circuit. Sky Sports presenter Gigi Salmon recently criticized the “Battle of the Sexes” match, suggesting it was primarily a means for kyrgios to maintain relevance. “For Kyrgios it was easier to see why he would agree,out of the spotlight and with just five matches to his name in 2025,with only one competitive match win since the end of 2022,largely due to injury and sitting at 671 in the world it was a chance to stay relevant,” Salmon stated.
salmon further argued the match presented a potential setback for women’s tennis,stating,”the reason I called it pointless…was I saw it as only lose,lose for Sabalenka…lose and ‘oh dear the women’s world No 1 has just lost to the world No 671,who only played five matches with one win all year’.” She acknowledged, however, that women’s tennis, led by Sabalenka, remains in a strong position. [https://twitter.com/SkySports/status/example_sky_sports_tweet]
Despite the challenges, Kyrgios remains optimistic about his future. He intends to build his fitness and competitive edge throughout the year, with a firm goal of returning to full singles competition in 2026.
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