Fasten your seatbelts! Nick Kyrgios is all set to make a Grand Slam return in the next month’s Australian Open after struggling with injuries for almost 2 years. He hasn’t competed in a Major tournament since September 2022. Talking about his fitness levels, well, he recently revealed, “Honestly, this is probably the best I’ve felt in two years.” The AO will begin on January 12, 2025. So, he still has quite a few days left to prepare himself for mega event. What does his compatriot, Jordan Thompson, think about his chances at AO?

Kyrgios will play at the AO with a protected ranking of 21. However, before the mega event in Melbourne, Nick Kyrgios will take part in the World Tennis League event in the UAE in December, and then after that he’ll travel to Brisbane to take part at the Brisbane International. Talking about this much-awaited comeback of his countryman during a conversation with Julie Snook at the ‘Fanatics’, another Aussie star, Jordan Thompson said, “I’m really hoping that, Nick can take the court. He’s a freak. Yeah, it’s better to see him in action than playing him.” Why did he say this though?

Well, Jordan Thompson has played Nick Kyrgios only once in his career. It was in the R128 of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships and Kyrgios defeated him in that match 7-6(4),3-6,7-6(10),0-6,6-1. Thompson recalled that moment during the conversation and added, “When I played him, it was on grass at Wimbledon. You know, lost in five sets, and watching that serve just go past me is not enjoyable. It’s a lot more enjoyable watching him ace other people.” He heaped praise on Nick Kyrgios’ incredible serve, athleticism and power. 

“There’s no reason he can’t come back and do damage,” said the 30-year-old Aussie. Is Nick Kyrgios ready to roar? What does Thompson think of this? Well, Jordan Thompson had a decent season this year with a title victory in Los Cabos this season. He took part in quite a few tournaments this season, but still, he was left surprised by the way Kyrgios handled him during a practice session.

Reflecting on that he added, “When I came back after Shanghai and I was playing some points with him practicing with him, the level was quite high and he hadn’t even played for nearly 2 years. I’ve been playing for a whole 2 years, I felt like I was improving and getting up the rankings. And, he coming back and it was…I feel like a kid on the court. It was just…he hasn’t played and he’s toying with me. So yeah he can do real damage.”

Both Nick Kyrgios and Jordan Thompson share a fair bit of camaraderie. When Thompson won his first ever ATP singles title (Los Cabos Open), Nick Kyrgios was among the first ones to congratulate him on his success. He tweeted, “Good job @jordanthommmo2 from growing up together at the age of 7 to winning titles on the ATP tour.” Then a few months later, Kyrgios took to social media to issue a stern warning to the tennis community. He said, “The world don’t know about Jordan Thompson. But they will.“

With the 2025 season knocking at the doors it’ll interesting to see if we can see facing each other once again in their careers. Thompson looked quite optimistic with Kyrgios ahead of this season. What are Nick Kyrgios’ goals in the next season, though?

“My target is a Grand Slam” – Nick Kyrgios looks quite optimistic about bringing back his golden days

Nick Kyrgios’ best record at the Grand Slam events has been reaching the final at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. In Melbourne, he reached the QF in 2015. In October during an interview, Kyrgios was spotted taking a look back at his incredible journey and he also revealed a bit about his next target. “I have beaten pretty much every person that has been put in front of me, made a final of a Grand Slam, won a doubles title in a Grand Slam, won multiple titles, and made money. But I think the one thing that is now on my target is a Grand Slam. I think that will be the only thing that will shut people up at the end of the day.”

That’s now his “deep motivation”! He has already mentioned that he has no intentions of “crawling to the finish line“, all he wants now is to take a sprint and finish his career on a high note. What are his chances at the 2025 AO, though? Well, here’s what Aussie legend Pat Rafter has to say on this.

While speaking on Nick Kyrgios’ chances at the AO, Rafter said, “I don’t know quite what the expectation is from the pundits but my expectation is there is none. When I say there is no expectation, if he gets to the quarters, the semis, it wouldn’t surprise me. If he loses the first round, it wouldn’t surprise me. I don’t know.” What are your thoughts on this, though? How far do you think Kyrgios can go in the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2025 season?