“I definitely will be coming back. It’s just hard to put an exact date on it.” August 20. That’s the date (if not earlier). So, mark your calendars because the Bad Boy of tennis is set to return to the biggest stage in the sport – the Arthur Ashe Stadium. For an exhibition tournament. In mixed doubles. Alongside Naomi Osaka. Is this a match made in tennis heaven, or is it the worst pairing of the century? Well, the overarching sentiment for now is the latter…

Nick Kyrgios has played one professional match on tour since October 2022. After having one of the best seasons of his career, the Australian had to step aside due to multiple knee and wrist injuries for almost the entirety of 2023. However, he did return to tennis this year, just not as a player. Rather, he was a commentator for ESPN and Eurosport during the Australian Open, and his stint garnered praise. But after making an appearance at the first Grand Slam of the year, the 28-year-old is ready to get back on court for the last Grand Slam of 2024.

“This is the biggest and most exciting year yet for US Open Fan Week,” said tournament director Stacey Allaster. The week leading up to the main draw matches will be filled with exciting events, including the first-ever US Open Mixed Madness, set to feature Osaka and Kyrgios as a team. The other three teams joining them will be power couple Tsitsidosa, Coco Gauff & Ben Shelton, and Taylor Fritz & Aryna Sabalenka. The most striking pairing, however, was still Osaka and Kyrgios, and it had many clenching their teeth in frustration.

As longtime friends and business collaborators, Osaka and Kyrgios have always maintained mutual respect. In fact, in an appearance on the Australian’s Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios podcast, the Japanese player said, “I’ve seen you on TV and around the scene and stuff… and I’ve always thought to myself, like, ‘That’s like my brother from a different universe,’ you know? Because there’s not a lot of melanated folks in tennis? So, I just kind of feel an alliance, sometimes?”

Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios’ personalities couldn’t be further apart. Kyrgios is one of the most boisterous players to have played the sport, and Osaka? Well, she’s one of the most introverted players to have made it big in tennis. That said, their pairing for the exhibition tournament is definitely an exciting opportunity but a shocking development nonetheless.

Given Kyrgios’ ‘bad boy’ image, tennis fans were more unpleasantly shocked than pleasantly surprised. And they ensured that they expressed their views on social media.

Fans want Nick Kyrgios to “stay away” from Naomi Osaka

The news about Kyrgios’ potential comeback, albeit in an exhibition event, spread like wildfire. It invited thousands of reactions from across the tennis world, with the common sentiment being that fans were surprised to see Kyrgios in the lineup. One sarcastically, “Naomi is playing with who?” Seeing as the only tennis appearance Kyrgios has made this year has been behind the mic, a few fans made a mockery of his absence from the sport, taking time to recover.

As for Naomi Osaka, she’s just starting to find her footing after making her comeback following the birth of her first child. Her performance against Iga Swiatek in the second round of the French Open made for one of the tournament’s best matches. Even though she lost, she knew her game would only get better as the season progressed. And what’s more? She even mentioned wanting to play against the World No.1 on hard courts – ‘her’ surface. Osaka has four Grand Slam titles on hard courts to attest to that. Considering all his, fans had just one question: Why?

One of them questioned Osaka’s decision to pair up with Kyrgios. While the two might share a friendly relationship and even practice together, one X user shared the iconic Demi Lovato post and asked Kyrgios to “stay away” from Osaka and to “get a job.” Ironically, the Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios podcast is produced by Osaka’s media production company, Hana Kuma. So, technically, Nick Kyrgios does have a job, and that’s working for Osaka. With guests like Jay Shetty, Gordon Ramsay, Mike Tyson, and Rainn Wilson sitting down to talk to Kyrgios, it’s safe to say the production is doing quite well.

Additionally, Evolve – the talent agency founded by the Japanese – represents the 28-year-old, too. That said, there’s no denying that Nick Kyrgios is one of the most controversial figures in tennis. Considering this, a fan took into account all the other mixed doubles pairings and asked, “ummmmm more importantly naomi with that man????”

For all this time, Osaka and Kyrgios have been extremely good friends. And in all this time, no one has ever dragged the Japanese down for being so close to Kyrgios. And rightfully so. However, one fan believed this could be why many started doing that. The comment read, “well, is this the time when Naomi will start catching heat for associating with that man or?” 

While Kyrgios will play at the exhibition event, it is still unclear if he intends to make a comeback in full capacity. Nonetheless, it promises to be an exciting time for neutral tennis fans, as the Mixed Madness event promises to have a lot of madness indeed.