Nick Kyrgios will make his return to Melbourne Park when he faces Jake Fearnley in the Australian Open first round on Monday. Veterans Grigor Dimitrov and Fabio Fognini are also part of the Day 2 order of play.
Jake Fearnley vs. Nick Kyrgios
Kyrgios is playing at the Australian Open for the first time since 2022. The 29-year-old Australian missed basically all of 2023 and 2024 due to various injuries in addition to general disinterest in tennis, but he is finally back on the court. His comeback match in Brisbane was relatively encouraging even though it resulted in a loss, as Kyrgios fell to a red-hot Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(3).
Up first for the former world No. 13 on Monday is Fearnley, who has soared to 86th in the rankings during his brief time on tour since leaving TCU. The former college standout captured four Challenger titles and was runner-up at another in 2024, and he kicked off 2025 with a semifinal performance (lost to rising star Joao Fonseca in the Canberra Challenger). Unsurprisingly, Kyrgios is getting night-session treatment in John Cain Arena–his favorite court. The crowd will inspire him to make this as competitive as possible, but Fearnley is winning matches left and right whereas Kyrgios has not won a match since October of 2022.
Pick: Fearnley in 5
Fabio Fognini vs. (10) Grigor Dimitrov
Dimitrov and Fognini will be squaring off for the eighth time in their careers when they meet again on Monday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-2 in favor of Dimitrov, who won their only encounter since 2017 via a 6-0, 7-5 decision at the 2022 Paris Masters. All signs point to the 33-year-old Bulgarian once again getting the job done. He is still going strong at No. 10 in the world and generally loves playing in Australia–with two Brisbane titles, runner-up performances in Brisbane and Sydney, and four trips to at least the quarterfinals of the Aussie Open (one to the semis).
Fognini isn’t quite ready to hang ’em up at 37 years old, but he is clearly much closer to the end than Dimitrov. The Italian comes in at 89th in the rankings after compiling a modest 12-14 record on the main tour last season. Any match involving these two guys can go in any direction, as Fognini remains extremely talented and Dimitrov is always a question mark from a physical standpoint. If the No. 10 seed is 100 percent, though, it should be one-way traffic.
Pick: Dimitrov in 3
WWW?
kyrgios, dimitrov in 3
Nick in 3; Dtrov in 3.
Nick in 3???
When it comes to the Aus open it’s completely different for Nick. I don’t think he will win in 3 however, as an Aussie, I can’t see him going out in the first round. Not to someone who just plays challengers and lost in Canberra to a no name. Nick may be a loose cannon at times, but the crowd will be fired up for him. He won’t let this one slip away, he has put in too much work.
a “no name”
lolololololololol
Kyrgios has never put it “too much work” in his entire career
I’ve been following Nick for a while. I know people still have judgment due to his efforts, attitude, and everything else that came with his game, however, he seems motivated, passionate and ready to play tennis again. I’ll be happy to eat my words if he loses, I just cant see it happening.
fair, although nothing with Nick should be surprising. He can very easily win. He can very easily lose. I can see either happening.
still can’t get over “a no name”!!!!!!!
He’s a commentator now. Thats his new career.
But I cant see him losing , without trying every trick in the book .
Basa in 4
A battled-hardened youngster that believes is exactly what you dont want in the early rounds. An with all the MAGA inspiration going on right now, that just spells trouble.
Just here in the 3rd set eating my words! Didn’t have time to watch the first 2 sets, turned it on and this Fearnley is playing great! Nick has no answers
Fearnley is no joke
altho, Nick would have lost to almost anyone in the field
Passaro is a great talent, but Dimitrov is not 100% right now, having played a lot of tennis over the past two seasons, making it deep at most events, which is in stark contrast to prior years.
Difficult decision at this stage of his career, but he needs a rest, especially from hard courts.
the beginning of the end, unfortunately
Is there an over/under on how many of the remaining Slams NK enters in ‘25?
0.5 and i have the under