Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios celebrates his victory after beating Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal on February 27, 2019. [AFP]
Mercurial Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios will appear at the upcoming French Open for the first time since 2017, competing in the men’s doubles alongside compatriot Jordan Thompson.
The 30-year-old ranked as high as 13 in the world in 2016 appeared on a list of competitors for Roland Garros, which runs from May 25 to June 8, seen by AFP on Thursday.
He was not going to play in Paris till Thompson’s playing partner Max Purcell — the duo won the US Open title last year — was slapped with an 18-month doping ban in April.
Kyrgios teamed up with Thompson at the 2017 French Open, reaching the third round.
“After the stuff with Max Purcell, Jordan was looking for a partner and he asked me if I wanted to play,” Kyrgios told The Canberra Times.
“We’ve played at the French Open before, so it’ll be good to get out there and play with another fellow Aussie and have a bit of fun.”
Kyrgios, Wimbledon singles finalist in 2022, has endured an injury-hit career and hardly played in 2023 and 2024.
He returned to the tour at the start of 2025, but last played in March, losing in the second round of the singles draw at the Miami Open.
His first-round win against American qualifier Mackenzie McDonald was the world number 633’s first tour-level victory since October 2022.
Kyrgios’ last doubles match came at the Australian Open in January, when his partner Thanasi Kokkinakis was forced to retire injured in the first round.
Alongside Kokkinakis, Kyrgios won the doubles at the Australian Open three years ago.
AFP
| May 15, 2025