Nick Kyrgios angry at 'ridiculous' tennis system which he finds 'absurd' as he makes return to the sport

Nick Kyrgios is set to make a full return to the ATP Tour in 2025, having missed the majority of the past two seasons.

After missing 18 months of action due to injury, Kyrgios returned to the court this week for the Brisbane International.

In one of the most sensational pairings tennis has ever seen, Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic won their opening match, as they teamed up for the doubles tournament.

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Kyrgios then lost to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, as his wait for a singles ATP Tour win extended to 817 days.

The fact that the Aussie is even back on the court is impressive, however, as Kyrgios was told he may never play tennis again after his recent surgeries.

Now back on the ATP Tour, the 29-year-old has laid out his plans for 2025, and given his thoughts on the ever-criticized tennis calendar.

Nick Kyrgios explains why he thinks the ATP Tour schedule is ‘ridiculous’

Speaking following his Brisbane International exit to Mpetshi-Perricard, the former Australian number one outlined his goals for the 2025 season.

“Look, I’m not playing for ranking points,” he claimed.

“I have never played for ranking points, as well, you know, I made the Wimbledon final being unseeded.

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“For me, there is no ranking goal for me personally.

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“I’m sure people are going to be telling me you’ve got to get your ranking up.

“For me, I don’t think anything about that at all, it’s more about just getting healthy, getting back playing and enjoying the competition and coming back from the injury I had.”

Kyrgios then gave his thoughts on the length of the ATP calendar, a big point of discussion for tennis stars throughout 2024.

“The tour is ridiculous compared to any other sport,” he said.

“It’s absurd, really, the amount of travel we do, considering we don’t even get paid what we are supposed to get paid, as well, which is a joke.

“Yeah, it’s a tough sport, especially if you’re from Australia, you don’t see your family or friends for six, seven, eight months if you’re playing a full schedule.”

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Kyrgios went on to explain what happened to one ATP star at the end of the 2024 season, that he thinks wouldn’t have happened if the calendar was shortened.

“You look at guys like [Daniil] Medvedev towards the end of last season, returning with the other side of his racquet,” he said.

“You’ve got guys like that that are starting to lose their mind a little bit because the season is just too long, and he’s super-disciplined.

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know, the season is just way too long, I’m sure everyone can agree with that.”

What did ‘super-disciplined’ Daniil Medvedev do at the 2024 ATP Finals?

Kyrgios briefly touched on Medvedev’s ‘antics’ at the 2024 ATP Finals when discussing how tired players get by the end of the season.

Medvedev lost to Taylor Fritz in the ATP Finals group stages, and many fans and players criticized the 28-year-old for his behavior during the match.

Medvedev cited fatigue as a reason for his behavior, as he explained that the tennis balls had frustrated him throughout the year.

Several players backed up their Russian colleague, including Carlos Alcaraz who agreed that players were exhausted by the end of the season.

The former US Open champion was knocked out of the ATP Finals in the group stage, having failed to pick up a tour-level title all season.

Medvedev and Kyrgios are both set to compete at the Australian Open which begins on January 12.

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