Biggest hint yet Nick Kyrgios will receive Australian Open wildcard with Qualifying Entry List holding glaring absence
ATPWednesday, 24 December 2025 at 20:30
Perhaps the biggest hint that Nick Kyrgios will play at the Australian Open as a wildcard was dropped after a top Aussie was included on the main Qualifying List without getting a wildcard.
Jordan Thompson who has dropped to World No.108 will not receive one it seems and is involved in a slew of top Aussie names including Bernard Tomic, Alex Bolt, Jason Kubler, James McCabe all the way down to Cruz Hewitt, son of the legendary Lleyton Hewitt who will again receive a qualifying wildcard.
Kyrgios though is not included which means he has not been given one for qualifying and instead would be playing the main draw if he's involved. With him playing in Brisbane alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis, it has to be deemed highly likely that e is pushing to play in Melbourne.
That is of course if he is fit with Kyrgios in the past taking wildcards and then withdrawing due to not being ready and Craig Tiley and co at Tennis Australia will be wanting to avoid a storm in a teacup in selling tickets to the Kyrgios show and not delivering the popular Aussie showman.
He has often flirted with playing the event again and entered before withdrawing due to injury but he played World Tennis League and exhibitions recently including The Garden Cup and Atlanta Cup. He is set to play Battle of the Sexes before Brisbane and the Kooyong Tennis Classic meaning he is very much leaving no stone unturned when it comes to his mission to return to the sport in time for the Australian Open.
Conflicting Craig Tiley statements
Craig Tiley poured cold water on him having an assured wildcard last week after speaking to The Tennis Podcast after he wasn't confirmed in the initial lot of those entered albeit the fact that there are still three more to be set, he is very much likely it seems.
“I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see. But he’s playing, which is good, he’s been playing events leading in, and I know he wants to play in the summer.
“So if he wants to play in the summer, it means he wants to play the Australian Open, but there’s still a lot of water that needs to go under the bridge. I think he’s beyond the period of a protected ranking, so he’s going to need a wild card to play as far as I’m concerned.”
These words didn't echo the promise he made to Kyrgios previously before the wildcard announcement was made with the Aussie not in sight at all.
“We have been in touch around what he’s doing in the summer and he’s obviously got some plans to play,” Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley said earlier this month.
"It’s going to depend on where his health is. He’s indicated there are a few places that he wants to play, so we haven’t finalised those yet.
“But we’ll welcome Nick back any time he wants to come back and play because he draws a great crowd and there’s a great deal of interest in what he’s going to do.”
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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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