Nick Kyrgios brings the show, and new perspective, to Madison Square Garden

Nick Kyrgios, tennis’ favorite mercurial entertainer, is set to take the court inside Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena.

The iconic venue has hosted legendary tennis matches for decades—including the WTA Finals—and now welcomes The Garden Cup, where Kyrgios will join Tommy Paul, Naomi Osaka, and Aryna Sabalenka.

His 2026 status is still unclear, but for now he’s focused solely on The Garden Cup, an exhibition event featuring men’s and women’s singles plus mixed doubles.

👉 SUBSCRIBE AND STREAM LIVE: The Garden Cup, 7 p.m. ET

“To be able to go out there again and share the court with some of the most iconic tennis players—like Aryna, Naomi and Tommy—it’s so special,” Kyrgios told Tennis.com ahead of the event.

“I’m not taking it for granted. Obviously, the last couple years for me has been pretty rocky, injury-wise. I’m not going to take it for granted that we’re playing in such a stadium in front of over 16,000 people, as I heard, with a 19,000 capacity. It’s pretty cool.”

The occasion is especially meaningful for Kyrgios, a lifelong basketball fan and devoted Boston Celtics supporter. He previously competed at MSG in 2017, and has visited plenty of times over the years—not always for tennis.

“My favorite moment ever in Madison Square Garden is when Paul Pierce hit a game-winner over Amar’e Stoudemire. That was honestly my favorite moment. I just love every time the Celtics come into Madison Square Garden and beat the Knicks.”

The 30-year-old Australian has spent most of the 2025 season sidelined with injuries, limiting him to four tournaments—Brisbane, the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami—where he posted a 1–4 record.

Read More: “I can’t do another surgery”: Nick Kyrgios opens up on retirement, future plans

The former Wimbledon finalist is still working his way back to full fitness. Knee and wrist injuries have plagued him for much of the past three years, both requiring surgery and difficult recoveries.

“Tennis is a tricky one, because nothing’s guaranteed in the sport,” Kyrgios said. “When you’re injured, you’re losing time in the sport, you’re potentially losing money, you’re losing ranking points.

“That makes it tricky, because you try and come back earlier than you maybe should, and then you have a couple more setbacks.”

His last official tournament came in March, but he’s been active on the exhibition circuit—a cameo as Richard Gasquet’s coach during UTS, and over the weekend he played The Atlanta Cup with Ben Shelton, Sabalenka, and Osaka. After The Garden Cup, he’ll take part in a Battle of the Sexes-style exhibition with Sabalenka in Dubai on December 28.

Read More: The Garden Cup brings tennis’ biggest personalities back to NYC

Kyrgios recently hinted that he hopes to compete at the Australian Open “in some way,” and on Monday he confirmed he’ll join the new ‘1 Point Slam’ alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ahead of the year’s first major. He hasn’t said whether 2026 will be his final season, and his ranking has fallen outside the Top 600 after his protected ranking of No. 21 expired.

“I’m just not taking these moments for granted anymore,” Kyrgios reflected. “It sounds pretty generic, but I think, when you’re a young 20-year-old, you’re just looking forward to the next event or the next result. You win a title, but you don’t really reflect on it at all.

“So I think now, I look back at some of the things that I’ve achieved in the sport and I can kind of be pretty proud of those moments.

“Being in New York, again, at this time of the year… I’m very lucky and very blessed, so I’m just enjoying it.”

👉 SUBSCRIBE AND STREAM LIVE: The Garden Cup, 7 p.m. ET