Nick Kyrgios will be hoping that, having battled for so long to return to fitness, he will be rewarded with a wildcard for Wimbledon.
After all, he has made no secret about proclaiming it as his favourite major, with grass his favourite surface by some distance.
His huge serve and unpredictable play style, matched with the thunderous speed he can randomly inject into his groundstrokes, unsurprisingly make him such a threat on the turf.
It was these traits and more which actually helped fire him into the Wimbledon final back in 2022, a feat which likely only adds to his love for the event.
However, despite all of this, Nick Kyrgios might have to settle for a spot in the qualifying at this third major of the year, as his chances of getting a wildcard seem supremely slim.
The huge number of players who will want a Wimbledon wildcard
Whilst he guarantees entertainment and competitiveness, Wimbledon has notoriously been quite steadfast in their wildcard selections over the years.
They are unafraid to exhibit their overwhelming bias, particularly on the men’s side, by handing almost all of their slots to British players. Both the 2024 and 2025 iterations saw all eight wildcards given to their home stars.
You’re the Wimbledon tournament director… which TWO of these players are you giving a wildcard to?
This is to be expected, but that does not justify the decisions, which over the years have caused plenty of frustration.
Worryingly, this year promises to be arguably the most controversial, given just how many top players are vying for a main draw wildcard.
Alongside Kyrgios is Stan Wawrinka, who is retiring at the end of this year. Meanwhile, Matteo Berrettini, who is also a former finalist, has reportedly requested one too.
Even Grigor Dimitrov, who last year saw his run cut brutally short whilst two sets up against the eventual champion Jannik Sinner, will be reliant on a show of faith from the All England Club as well.
And that’s without mentioning Jack Draper, who will be guaranteed one of the eight spots, as well as Dan Evans, who recently announced he will be retiring after Wimbledon as well.
Kyrgios, despite all his talent and exuberance, is sadly so far down the list.
Does Nick Kyrgios deserve a Wimbledon wildcard?
Regardless of the conclusion they come to, the announcement of Wimbledon’s eight wildcard spots for men is guaranteed to upset some star players and cause controversy.
After all, they will surely have to omit at least two of Kyrgios, Wawrinka, Berrettini and Dimitrov, especially given all the Brits they still need to fit in.
However, of all those mentioned, the Australian would undeniably offer the greatest entertainment factor should he be selected.
Not only that, but he has proven to be semi-competitive, winning on his return to singles action in Stuttgart this week against Corentin Moutet.
Five-set action will naturally be much more gruelling, but Kyrgios will have been preparing with this in mind.
It would be heartbreaking for him to be snubbed, but it is looking increasingly likely that he will be in favour of Draper, Evans, Wawrinka and the rest of the Brits.
