Nick Kyrgios admits what he thought about Alex de Minaur when he was a teenager after playing against him
Nick Kyrgios is set to make his long-awaited return to Grand Slam tennis at the 2025 Australian Open, marking his first appearance at Melbourne Park since 2022.
The Aussie star, who always attracts headlines both on and off the court, made his comeback at the Brisbane International but fell in the opening round to France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. During the match, Kyrgios suffered an abdominal injury, raising concerns about his fitness just days before the Australian Open kicks off.
Injuries have severely impacted Kyrgios’ career in recent years, including an experimental wrist surgery that once put his entire future in doubt. Nonetheless, he remains hopeful to be fully fit for his home Slam, which begins in just two days.
While preparing for the tournament, Kyrgios took time to reminisce about his early experiences with fellow Aussie star Alex de Minaur.
Kyrgios: ‘I Wanted to Teach Young Alex de Minaur a Lesson’
Speaking at his pre-tournament press conference, Kyrgios recalled an early encounter with a teenage De Minaur:
“I remember he was our orange boy at the Davis Cup.
We had already won the tie, and he needed some extra practice.
I said, ‘I’ll go out there and teach this little kid a lesson.’
I even brought a beer out there—I thought, there’s no way this guy could be that good.”
However, De Minaur quickly made an impression.
“It was actually a really close set, and I was in my prime.
He was only 17, but I thought, ‘This guy is going to be really solid.’”
Kyrgios Praises De Minaur’s Growth and Maturity
Kyrgios went on to heap praise on De Minaur for how he has developed into Australia’s top-ranked player:
“To see how well he’s taken it upon himself to be our number one for the last three or four years is impressive.
He’s grown so much, and he’s handled the pressure really well.
I didn’t always deal with it the best myself, but he’s been a ridiculously good role model.”
Kyrgios also believes De Minaur is capable of winning a Grand Slam:
“He’s a threat at any Slam and any tournament he enters.
He’s made the quarterfinals of every Slam except the Australian Open.
He’s improved in areas where I thought he needed to, and I think he absolutely has a chance to win a Slam.”
Kyrgios on Australia’s Bright Tennis Future
Kyrgios also shared thoughts on some of Australia’s other leading players:
“Pop [Alexei Popyrin] is dangerous when he’s serving well—he even won a Masters event.
Tomo [Jordan Thompson] has really matured; he’s finally seeded at a Slam, which could open things up for him.”
He added:
“All these Aussie guys are doing really well.
We’ve got a great crop of young players coming through.
It’s a good time to be a fan of Australian tennis.”
Australian Open 2025: First-Round Matchups for the Top Aussies
The draw for the 2025 Australian Open has been revealed, setting up some exciting first-round matches:
- [8] Alex de Minaur vs Botic van de Zandschulp
- [PR] Nick Kyrgios vs Jacob Fearnley
- [25] Alexei Popyrin vs Corentin Moutet
- [27] Jordan Thompson vs [Q] Dominik Koepfer
De Minaur, as the highest seed among them, will hope to reach his first-ever Australian Open quarter-final, although a potential fourth-round clash with 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas looms.
Kyrgios faces a tougher road—if he progresses, he could meet world No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the third round.
The action gets underway on January 12, with all eyes on the Aussie stars as they chase glory on home soil.
