Nick Kyrgios makes his Australian Open 2024 prediction – and you won’t believe who he has backed to win the tournament

Nick Kyrgios has picked his men’s singles winner at this year’s Australian Open, and it’s not the tennis superstar many expect to take home the crown.

All eyes are on Novak Djokovic at Melbourne Park as the 36-year-old looks to win a record-extending 11th title Down Under.

With Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal unable to participate in the tournament due to injury, many expect Carlos Alcaraz to be the biggest threat to the Serbian’s crown, especially given his ongoing wrist problems.

But the Australian has offered another name that he thinks can do full justice in Melbourne.

On X/Twitter, Kyrgios said: “I think (Stefanos) Tsitsipas will win the Aus Open.”

That prediction comes as a surprise to many tennis fans, especially given the volatile relationship between Kyrgios and Tsitsipas.

The pair famously came to blows during their explosive fourth-round clash at Wimbledon in 2022, a match in which Kyrgios ultimately gained the upper hand.

Tsitsipas called Kyrgios’ antics ‘a circus’ and was far from impressed by his rival’s behaviour.

“The constant talking, the constant complaining. “I mean, I’m about to serve, and there’s a big difference that there’s no tennis being played, which is the most important thing on the court,” he said.

‘We are there to play tennis. We’re not there to have conversations and dialogues with other people, except – especially actually, not ‘except’ – especially if you really know that the referee is not going to overturn his decision, you know.”

Tsitsipas also branded Kyrgios an ‘evil bully’.

Kyrgios replied: “He is so soft. To come in here and say I bullied him, that’s just soft.”

‘We are not cut from the same cloth.

Kyrgios and Tsitsipas shared a heated rivalry at Wimbledon in 2022

The Greek star has remained under the radar during this year’s tournament in Melbourne

‘I don’t know what to say. I’m not sure how I bullied him. He was the one who hit balls at me, he was the one who hit a spectator, he was the one who hit him out of the stadium.”

The Greek returned to serve after Tsitsipas called for an end to Kyrgios’ explosive antics on the pitch.

‘This has to stop. It’s not okay. Someone needs to sit down with him,” Tsitsipas told reporters.

“I really hope that all players can come up with something and make it a cleaner version of our sport so that this type of behavior is not accepted, not allowed and not tolerated.”

Kyrgios fired back, boasting to Channel Nine that he has more friends in the dressing room than Tsitsipas.

“I’m not really sure which guys he’s going to pick up because he doesn’t have too many friends on tour, to be honest,” he said.