Melbourne, Australia — The island that was once the center of the men’s tennis world — the land of Laver and Rosewall, Emerson and Newcombe, and other gods of the game — has seen a strange dynamic emerge.
The Yin and Yang of Australian Tennis
The rest of the globe obsesses about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Down here, it’s all about the tennis yin and yang.
One is a top-10 player who will do whatever it takes to avoid controversy, dedicating every ounce of his energy to the sport. The other is an unranked unicorn, most at home in the middle ring of a three-ring circus. One has ground his way to the edge of the sport’s elite. The other, according to just about every other player and some big names of the past, including Goran Ivanisevic and Andy Roddick, has more natural tennis gifts flowing through his veins than anyone on Earth.
The 2025 Australian Open: A Tale of Two Players
The 2025 Australian Open is abuzz with the latest doings of both. Alex de Minaur, the world No. 8, and Nick Kyrgios, who is back after a two-year battle with knee and wrist injuries, are the headliners for their country at Melbourne Park. Kyrgios emceed the night session on John Cain Arena Monday, before De Minaur headlines Rod Laver Arena, the pantheon of Australian tennis Tuesday night.
The Contrasting Personalities
They are both celebrities of the moment; they could not be more alike. Kyrgios has returned to the center of the tennis world as only he can, toting his confidence like a broadsword and swinging it in the direction of anyone he encounters, whether they want to duel or not. He doesn’t even have a ranking after so long out through injury.
Yet, although he is at the bottom of the pecking order among his countrymen when it comes to numbers, there is no doubting who fills stadiums. He’s spent much of the past months trolling Sinner, the world No. 1, about his doping case, plastering lurid allegations about conspiracy on social media and filling comments sections with needle emojis. That included posting them in the comments of a fellow Aussie, and son of Lleyton Hewitt, Cruz, who put a photo up of him and Sinner which likely represented the best moment of his tennis life.
Sinner is none too pleased about this, if indirectly. "I don’t think I have to answer this," he bristled when Kyrgios’ jabs came up in a news conference Friday.
For Kyrgios, wildly talented but always ambivalent about life as a tennis professional — and always willing to turn matches into spectacles with rants at umpires, officials, and those seated in his own player box, and taunts towards opponents — it was business as usual.
The Return of Nick Kyrgios
He has sought more nuance in other areas of his life. In early 2023, Kyrgios pleaded guilty to assaulting his then-girlfriend Chiara Passari in 2021, but was not convicted. He has been open about living through depression, and has said that his mental health contributed to his behavior.
"We watch sport because we want personalities," Kyrgios said Friday. "Every time I step out on court, I don’t know if I’m going to be super-controversial in a good or bad way. Throughout my career, it hasn’t always been good, but it’s added a lot of excitement to the game. I think it’s important.
"There’s so many good players on the tour now. I think there’s not so many contrasting personalities."
The Rise of Alex de Minaur
On the other hand, Alex de Minaur is a study in contrasts. He is a good half-foot shorter, and given how slight he is, he presents smaller than that. Always envied for his unmatched speed, de Minaur spent the first post-pandemic years lurking in the world top 20. He carried the hopes of his country into a fourth-round match against Novak Djokovic here in 2023. Djokovic said he used the moment to take some revenge on Australia for deporting him the previous year, over his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19. He annihilated its favorite tennis son, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
The Tipping Point
Then, last May, de Minaur’s career arc veered upwards. He is half-Spanish and spent much of his childhood there, but has never had much use for clay-court tennis events. He can run like a deer; he can switch directions like a scrambling puppy dog; he has a massive engine. He is ideally suited to the physical, intense game that the surface demands, and he has never relied on a big serve that a clay court might neutralize for his success.
Conclusion
The 2025 Australian Open is a tale of two players, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. While Kyrgios is known for his unpredictability and controversies, De Minaur has risen to the top eight in the world in the past 12 months, thanks to his newfound power and confidence.
As the tournament unfolds, it will be interesting to see how these two players fare, each with their own path to success.
FAQs
Q: What is the current ranking of Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur?
A: Nick Kyrgios is not ranked, while Alex de Minaur is the world No. 8.
Q: What is the main difference between Kyrgios and De Minaur?
A: Kyrgios is known for his unpredictability and controversies, while De Minaur is known for his speed and newfound power.
Q: How did Kyrgios return to tennis after his two-year injury hiatus?
A: Kyrgios returned to tennis after a two-year battle with knee and wrist injuries.