Nick Kyrgios has somewhere become synonymous with controversy. Be it on the court or off of it. This season, Kyrgios gave his racquet a rest, as he picked up the mic for BBC as a commentator at Wimbledon. Now, he’s ready to return to the court. With the Big 3 era winding down, fans are eager to know who Kyrgios considers his toughest opponent. Surprisingly, he named Jannik Sinner.

In the November 18 episode of the AO Show, Nick Kyrgios sat down with Viv Christie and Matt Trello, to open up about his injuries, 2 year-long hiatus from the circuit, and his comeback at the first Grand Slam of the season. Hence, when Trello asked Kyrgios, “When you do come back, who are you most looking forward to playing?”

He responded, “I would love to play, obviously, Jannik Sinner at some stage. Kyrgios further went on to explain his choice, “Hopefully not my first match back. I doubt he’d play Brisbane. But, you know, look, that’s probably, that would be circled on my calendar for sure.” Sinner and Kyrgios have played 2 sets in total, with Sinner winning 2 and Kyrgios winning 0, at the Round of 16 at the 2022 Miami Open.

He further said, “I’ve got a couple of answers there. But look, I think the tennis world right now is in a, it’s definitely changing of the guard. I think we all understand that Rafa and Fed’s not there anymore. And I think this is. You could comfortably say it’s the back end of Novak’s career now.” Rightly so, the circuit is wide open for anyone who wants to claim the glory. Though there are a few front runners in “Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and Sinner,”which is certainly healthy for tennis.

After being sidelined for nearly two years due to persistent knee and wrist injuries, Nick Kyrgios is set to return to the tennis court at the 2025 Australian Open. A month ago, the Australian star confirmed his participation during a panel discussion at SXSW in Sydney. “I will be playing the Australian Open this summer,” he said. “I just miss being out there playing in front of a home crowd.”

It would be interesting to watch Nick Kyrgios face Sinner, after taking several digs at him for the unconventional way followed by the authorities for Sinner’s doing trial.

Nick Kyrgios’ scathing responses to Jannik Sinner’s doping controversy

In March this year, Sinner tested positive for Clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, twice. However, this came to light, months later at the end of the Cincinnati Open. Sinner claimed that the substance entered through the spray used by his physiotherapist to treat him. His defense was sustained as the ITIA cleared him of all the charges. But WADA reopened the case, which could lead to a 2-year ban on the Italian star. However, Kyrgios didn’t leave any stone unturned in expressing his displeasure for the same.

When the matter came to light, Kyrgios posted the following words on X: “Hahahahhahahahha…. God, I hope the people running this thing don’t care that he is number 1 and has money.” Furthermore, the Aussie added, “HAHAHHAHAH Maybe not be so innocent after all, eh?” Kyrgios went on to take a few more digs at Sinner.

However, as of today, Kyrgios would ‘love to play Sinner’. But how would Kyrgios fare against the Alcaraz and Sinner? Would he ever be able to achieve his 2022 level, when he played Wimbledon final against Djokovic? Let’s wait and watch Nick Kyrgios’ season 2025 unfold!