Nick Kyrgios' 2026 Comeback Starts With The Atlanta Cup

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios hinted that 2025 could be his "Last Dance" in tennis. Despite another injury-shortened season, Kyrgios is far from finished with the sport.

The 30-year-old is steadily building a strong media presence, but he is also ramping up for another year on the tour. That starts with a string of high-profile exhibition events.

World-class tennis returns to Atlanta this Saturday, December 6. The Gas South Arena hosts the debut of The Atlanta Cup. The inaugural tennis exhibition will feature four of the game's most magnetic stars: Kyrgios, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, and Atlanta's own Ben Shelton.

Tickets are on sale at ticketmaster.com. Fans can also visit theatlantacup.com and follow @TheAtlantaCup on social media for updates. Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI spoke with Kyrgios about his return to Atlanta, the 2025 season, and plans for the upcoming ATP season.

You've had success in Atlanta before. What are your thoughts on the city?

Yeah, actually, Atlanta's probably one of my favorites. It was one of my favorite tournaments when the tournament was there. I just have some great memories there. Obviously, I won a tournament.

Atlanta, the crowd was always super amazing and always really embraced the kind of energy and tennis that I brought to the city. So, yeah, I'm super excited to actually be returning, and just to get there, because I've always really enjoyed my time.

Ben Shelton is an Atlanta native. What do you think the crowd reaction will be like for you two?

No, I definitely think the crowd will be behind Shelton, for sure. He's an incredible player, and after the year he's had, and some of the energy that he brings, I see a lot of myself in his tennis, his risk-taking, and the way he interacts with the crowd as well.

I'm definitely gonna feel some love there, but at the same time, you're talking about one of the best players in the world coming from Atlanta. So, I'm not gonna be too surprised when the crowd really embraces Ben.

How are you feeling physically?

I'm feeling really good, actually. The last couple of months, I've had some massive improvement in my wrist and my knee as well. So, I'm just doing everything I can at the moment to manage that, and I'm super excited to even just get back out there and play.

It's obviously not an ATP full match, but at the same time, we're gonna go out there and be in an amazing atmosphere and play one of the best players in the world. It's super exciting for me, considering how rough the last couple of years have been from injuries. I'm super excited, man.

Do you plan on playing any ATP events in 2026?

Yeah, for sure. The way I feel now, physically, I feel as if I could definitely play some ATP events next year. I think the next month is gonna be a good test. Obviously, Atlanta, New York, and then going through India, and then the Battle of the Sexes. If I'm able to get through all of these events without anything really alarming, then I feel as if I could play some amazing events next year.

What is your favorite moment from the 2025 season?

My favorite moment was probably after the wrist reconstruction and after the surgeries, being able to get a win at a Masters event. It was massive for my confidence to prove that I was still able to beat a player who was having good top-100 wins every week, and to prove to myself that my level was still there.

That was a special one for me, but honestly, I had a really successful year off the tennis court. I was able to do some really cool things, and I set up some other things that athletes don't necessarily all have the chance to do. I think it's been an interesting year, but it's been fun.

What was your least favorite moment of 2025?

I don't really think there are lowlights at this point of a career. Obviously, I'm not gonna be able to play at the level of say the 2022 season when you're nearly winning Grand Slams, but I don't think it's fair to compare someone that's gone through the surgeries to that.

So, I feel like just the highlights were probably just the amount of rehab, the amount of physio, training sessions, and the repetitiveness and the consistency. I wouldn't really call that a lowlight, but I guess that hasn't really been easy.

What is your hottest tennis take at the moment?

My hottest tennis take is that very soon, Joao Fonseca will be a part of the Big Three of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. I think he's got some amazing potential.

Last question: Who is your favorite player on the ATP and WTA tours?

My favorite player on the ATP is Jenson Brooksby, and then on the WTA side, I like Aryna Sabalenka.