'Had a blast': Nick Kyrgios signs off from Tennis Channel debut ready for more

Nick Kyrgios' first foray into tennis commentary likely won't be his last. After a well-received Tennis Channel debut during the Nitto ATP Finals last week, the Aussie signed off with a promise: He'll be doing it again.

Kyrgios had his fair share of highlights, zingers and successful predictions over the course of his five days commentating the action from Turin, not the least of which was picking Novak Djokovic to defeat Jannik Sinner in the final, in a reversal of their earlier round-robin encounter.

"I think I'm gonna go with Novak," Kyrgios said on air. "I was really eager to see his performance today against [Carlos] Alcaraz [in the semifinals] to see how he was feeling. But after today's performance [a 6-3, 6-2 win], I'm gonna safely say Novak. I think he's gonna steady the ship. He's gonna understand what he didn't do right the first time."

As it turned out, Kyrgios had a hunch: Djokovic got revenge from his earlier group-stage loss again Sinner, winning 6-3, 6-3 to capture his seventh career title at the year-end championships.

"My predictions have been pretty good," Kyrgios wrote on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, afterwards. "[I] had a blast, ready to analyze more tennis or other sports."

Kyrgios' first go-around on the mic proved enlighting in many ways, from a behind-the-scenes look at the highlights of his own career to his self-confessed status as a "student of the game." He was effusive in his praise of Djokovic, too, calling him "the best player to ever touch a racquet, the best player to ever walk the Earth," as well as "super-human," and "an alien from another planet."

By the week's end, the verdict was in: The fans loved it all. (He didn't escape without going viral, though.)

“Looking good on Tennis Channel in Los Angeles," one fan wrote on X, calling Kyrgios "a natural."

“Sign Nick Kyrgios to a long term broadcasting deal," another wrote. "He has great tennis knowledge and insight. Fun to listen to him call the match.”

But, if Kyrgios has his way, his return to commentary won't be for a while. Currently rehabbing knee and wrist injuries, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist said that seeing the court from the booth has boosted his already-existing motivation for a comeback.

"I'm doing everything I am to get back out there," he said. "Every day, doing the rehab, doing the gym work, but to be here ... is making me more hungry to get out there."