Nick Kyrgios quietly, at least for him, made a return to tennis this week at the Boss Open in Stuttgart, Germany. After a fantastic first set against Sho Shimabukuro, Kyrgios dipped ever so slightly in form and lost the final two tight sets. He still had a chance to move forward in doubles, but didn't.
Kyrgios made his return to the sport the same week that WTA great Serena Williams did. Williams played doubles at the HSBC Championships in London and won her first match playing next to Victoria Mboko, but Mboko was injured in her following singles match and had to withdraw from singles and doubles.
This meant Williams was done until her next event, the Berlin Open. Her doubles partner will be Karolina Muchova.
Nick Kyrgios' doubles fate in Stuttgart meets the same end as Serena Williams's in London
Kyrgios was partnered with the ever-entertaining Alexander Bublik in Stuttgart, and Bublik also chose to withdraw ahead of the second doubles match the two would have played. The difference between Bublik and Mboko was that Bublik wasn't hurt. He had simply made it into the semifinals of the tournament, and resting for his next singles match was more important than doubles.
It should be for nearly any player, unless one plays tennis to win a lot of doubles tournaments and isn't very good in singles. Professional tennis players make a lot more money playing singles than doubles, especially at an event like the 250 Boss Open.
One is not going to gain or lose a ton of points at the tournament, but should Bublik go on to win the tournament, he would earn €116,855, which equates to a bit over $135,000. Whoever wins the doubles part only gets €40,640, which is a little over $47,000.
In other words, while Alexander Bublik pulling out of doubles meant Nick Kyrgios was also finished, the Aussie likely fully understood why the Kazakhstani needed to make the decision he did. Players hopefully love the sport, but they play the sport to make a living.
Next for Kyrgios in singles, assuming he doesn't withdraw from any of his planned events, is the Halle Open, which begins on June 15. He will then play the Mallorca Championships that start on June 21. After that lies Wimbledon, which begins on June 29. The Australian has a real chance on grass courts due to his huge serve and wicked forehand. He reached the final at the grass-court major in 2022.
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