Mats Wilander has made a big statement about Nick Kyrgios as the tennis great believes the Australian has a chance to become the first player to “tick every single box that you can tick”.

The controversial Kyrgios is set to return to tennis after more than a year on the sidelines with his first tournament the Brisbane International at the start of the 2025 season as he will play both singles and doubles before he competes at the Australian Open.

The season-opening Grand Slam at Melbourne Park will be the 29-year-old’s first appearance at a major since he reached the quarter-final of the US Open in 2022.

Kyrgios, of course, also reached the Wimbledon final that year as he finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic while he also has a Grand Slam title to his name as he won the 2022 Australian Open doubles alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis.

But Kyrgios is not just famous for his results at majors as he is one of the most exciting players on the ATP Tour while he is also often in the news for his controversial opinions.

He has become known for serving underarm – something that many players have copied – producing tweeners and having run-ins with opponents, officials and fans.

Former world No 1 Wilander believes winning a Grand Slam singles trophy is the only thing missing from Kyrgios’ “box”.

“I think Nick has revolutionised the sport in many ways,” the Swede told Eurosport. “Players are actually using part of his arsenal or his repertoire.

“Now, here’s another statement, if Nick goes out, and he plays his absolute best tennis, and if he wins the Grand Slam, I believe maybe for the first time ever, a single player would have ticked every single box that you can tick.

“He is competitive, the level is high, the mental attitude is brilliant, the repertoire and the variety of crazy shot-making and the jokes he cracks, no one has ever done it all.

“Nick Kyrgios has a chance to do it all.”

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Former world No 13 Kyrgios, who has won seven ATP singles titles, has struggled with a knee and wrist injuries over the past few years, but he is confident he has fully recovered and ready to return.

“I am feeling fit and healthy, and I am excited for my return to tennis following some time out of the sport,” he said recently.

“It has been a long journey of recovery to be where I am today, one of the goals I had set was to be able to play during the Aussie summer, so I am excited that I get to start in Brisbane which is one of my favourite tournaments.”