Racquet or mic? Aussie superstar Nick Kyrgios who endured an injury layoff over the past two years worked as a commentator during the AO and the Wimbledon Championships. However, as per several reports, he will not be a part of the commentary panel for the 2025 AO. Kyrgios’ commentary gained quite a lot of popularity in a very short span. He has been widely praised for his punditry skills, with many predicting his long-term future in the role once he retires from the sport, but even in case of an early elimination from AO 2025, the Aussie won’t be joining the commentary team. Why though?

Nick Kyrgios first took up commentary duties at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. During that time, the fans were really impressed with his commentary skills and craved more from him. He was a part of the commentary team at 2024 AO as well and some of the fans were of the opinion that having him on the ESPN broadcast team was one of the best decisions that the Sporting Channel could have made. Even during the 2024 US Open, Nick Kyrgios was spotted conducting on-court post-match interviews with several ATP and WTA stars.

Recently a fan posted on X, “I know Nick Kyrgios has been giving commentary during the Open, but holy smokes my man is made for this role. First time listening, the Aussie accent plus his knowledge and takes on the game/matches is pure.” Kyrgios reaffirmed his dedication to the role by retweeting the post, as he stated his intention to stay. “Yup! Here to stay,” said the Aussie. However, he won’t be seen with a mic in hand at the 2025 AO.

Renowned tennis journalist, Jon Wertheim shared an update on X saying, “Read into this what you will, but Nick Kyrgios will *not* be part of the ESPN @AustralianOpen 2025 broadcast team.” Responding to that, a fan commented, “Isn’t he playing the tournament though?” Later on, Wertheim replied to the fan confirming, “He is. But it is routine for players (Eubanks, Wozniacki, etc.) to join a broadcast team once they are eliminated. I am told that will not be happening here…”

Even Nick Kyrgios himself commented on Jon Wertheim’s post and suggested that it’s pretty natural for him not to be a part of the commentary panel this time around as he wouldn’t have any time after his on-court commitments. He wrote, “Uhhhh because I’m playing singles and doubles – slow media day huh 😂😭.” Although players join the broadcast team in case of an early elimination, it won’t be happening in Kyrgios’ case.

Why do the fans love Kyrgios’ commentary so much? Well, according to renowned tennis commentator Nick Lester, “The golden rule of tennis commentary is not to talk during the points and Nick worked it out pretty quickly…With him, it was always going to be quite raw, but the reason why it worked so well is he was just himself.“

During his interview with Tennis365, Lester further added, “What we were hearing from Nick Kyrgios saying it as it was and not caring what anyone thought. That’s what made it so nice to listen to. He wasn’t afraid of upsetting anybody. He was talking as he would have done without headphones and that was the nicest part of working for him.” What does Nick Kyrgios think about his own commentary, though?

“I’m not a very critical commentator. I don’t like when commentators beat down or are too critical, because it’s not easy out there – in today’s day and age the game’s so physical,” said Kyrgios. He believes tennis commentary needs a “bit of shake-up” now. According to him, commentators need to appeal to younger fans and bring new people into the sport. When will we see Kyrgios with mic in hand again? We don’t know, but fasten your seatbelts to see him in action with the racquet in hand!

This year, Kyrgios will make a return to the ‘Melbourne Slam’ after missing out on the chance to participate in this mega event in the last two editions. Can the Aussie be as impressive on the court as he as with the mic in hand last few months?

Time will tell! However, he’ll enter the Australian following his recent defeat in the R16 of the Brisbane International doubles event. Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic were defeated by Nikola Mektić (Croatia) and Michael Venus (New Zealand) by 2-6,6-3,8-10. Before this match, Kyrgios went down to France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the singles event as well, as he lost a three-set thriller. What did Nick Kyrgios say after that loss in the singles event?

Nick Kyrgios makes an honest admission about the upcoming Australian Open

Nick Kyrgios returned to singles action after a long time at the Brisbane International. However, he went down to Perricard in his first match and not only that, he also faced a few issues with his wrist during the match. Worrying signs ahead of the AO? “I was really excited for the Aus Open, but after today – obviously I’m [still] super excited. If I’m able to play, I’m able to play. But the reality kind of set in to me,” Kyrgios said.

He further added, “It’s one of the hardest things to do in any sport, is win a grand slam in men’s tennis. I think I almost need a miracle, and I need the stars to align for my wrist to hold up in a grand slam, for sure.” Nick Kyrgios’ best performance at any major event came in 2022 when he reached the final of the Wimbledon Championships.

Can he go a step further in the upcoming Australian Open? Well, tennis legend Mats Wilander has an interesting take on this. During an interview, he said, “If Nick goes out, and he plays his absolute best tennis, and if he wins the Grand Slam, I believe maybe for the first time ever, a single player would have ticked every single box that you can tick…Nick Kyrgios has a chance to do it all.”

Kyrgios has got the skills, but his fitness has to hold up for him to make a deep run into the Australian Open. Are you backing the charismatic Aussie to make a mark in Melbourne?