Former world number 13 Nick Kyrgios has weighed in on the current state of British and Australian tennis, offering insight into the future and reflecting on the present.
The 30-year-old, a Wimbledon finalist, is arguably the best male Australian player since Lleyton Hewitt, who won two grand slam titles earlier this century.
Kyrgios, who recently weighed up Jack Draper’s Grand Slam chances, appeared on a UK radio station on Tuesday morning.
The Australian, who will miss Wimbledon for a third consecutive year, analysed the past, present and future of Australian and British tennis.
Nick Kyrgios says tennis in Britain is ‘really good’
Kyrgios, who reached the 2022 Wimbledon final before losing to 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic in four sets, praised the state of British tennis.
Kyrgios said: “Tennis in Britain right now is really good as well.
“You guys have a couple of really good female players and on the male side Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans. So you’ve still got some really good players.”
Kyrgios, who was born in Canberra, Australia, burst onto the tennis scene in 2014 when he shocked Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Kyrgios reflected on previous Australian success stories, noting two players in particular.
Speaking to talkSPORT hosts Alan Brazil and Ray Parlour, Kyrgios added: “We actually have a lot of male tennis players right now in the top 100. I think we have got eight or nine players, which is pretty good.
“We are not winning Grand Slams like we used to, with Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter and these types of guys.”
The Australian native was candid about Australia’s current tennis scene, but claimed that Australian tennis is ‘booming.’
Kyrgios added: “But tennis in Australia right now is booming. There is a lot of young kids playing it.”
The top five-ranked Australian players across the ATP and WTA Tour
Australian speedster Alex de Minaur tops the list across the ATP and WTA Tours, sitting at number 11. Daria Kasatkina, at 16 in the world, is not far behind.
| Player | Tour | World Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Alex de Minaur | ATP | 11 |
| Daria Kasatkina | WTA | 16 |
| Alexei Popyrin | ATP | 22 |
| Jordan Thompson | ATP | 45 |
| Maya Joint | WTA | Not specified |
Big hitter Alexei Popyrin is next at 22 in the world, followed up by Jordan Thompson. The 45th-ranked Australian is considered a very strong grass-court player and won his first title at Los Cabos in 2024.
Rounding out the list is 19-year-old Maya Joint. In May 2025, Joint won her first WTA singles and doubles titles at the Morocco Open in Rabat.
