Nick Kyrgios: “I was delusional, I believed I was the best in the world”

The Australian Open is approaching and the debate over Nick Kyrgios continues. This time, the question is: does he deserve a wild card?

So far, five of the eight available wild cards have not gone to him. The 30-year-old Australian also struggled in Brisbane recently, where he did receive a wild card but lost in the first round to No. 58 Aleksandar Kovacevic, 6-3, 6-4.

Kyrgios was once Australia’s great hope, especially after reaching the Wimbledon final in 2022, but inconsistency and controversy have always overshadowed his talent. He had just played the much-discussed ‘Battle of the Sexes’ against Aryna Sabalenka, which he won, but had not competed since the Miami Masters 1000 in March 2025 due to a wrist injury.

He has blamed the slump on his physical condition, saying: “I had my wrist reconstructed and my knee operated on twice. Thanasi, Del Potro, Thiem, or Nishikori are examples… If we look at some of these players who were competing to win Grand Slams, we see that there are parts of the body that simply fail.”

The aura of a future Grand Slam winner has faded. Kyrgios has seven titles, but things would have to change drastically for him to regain his former prominence. He said recently: “Sometimes I even struggle to go out and train, and that’s not easy to accept.”

“There was a time in 2022, or when I was winning several titles in a year, when I had a kind of delusion: I believed I was the best in the world. When you’re at the top of the sport, I really thought I was invincible. I’d go out on the court and think that nobody could beat me."

Now Kyrgios is praying for a wildcard at his home Grand Slam, where he lost in the first round last year. “If I continue playing, it’s to make money,” he admitted bluntly.

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