Australian Tennis player Nick Kyrgios has announced he is setting up a free-to-access OnlyFans page as a way to interact with the public in a new way.
The 28-year-old, who was the runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022 but was sidelined by injuries for nearly all of this past season, has played in just one official singles match in 2023.
London-based OnlyFans is a subscription site where people can pay creators for photos and videos. Kyrgios is one of the most prominent male athletes to join the platform.
“They are revolutionizing social media and I wanted to be a part of that,” he said in a statement.
“Athletes can no longer just show up on the court or the field. We have to show up online too. I want to create, produce, direct and own content. That’s the future.”
Kyrgios is frequently outspoken off the tennis court – including open discussions about his mental health – and often outlandish on it, drawing attention for antics that sometimes resulted in punishment from the sport’s governing bodies.
“Nick is a disruptor, so it’s great to see him joining our platform, finding new ways to share his content and express himself,” OnlyFans chief executive, Keily Blair, said.
Kyrgios said he has learned what his fans want to see over the years.
“Of course, there’ll be tennis balls involved, tips, tricks and behind the scenes, but also they’ll get to see all different sides of me,” he said.
“Gaming, tattoos, my intimate side – it’s all on the table and I’ll be bringing fans along for the ride!”
On the court, Kyrgios’s serve is among the biggest in the game and he has proven capable of beating the very best, including Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
He’s been ranked as high as No 13 in the world – although currently does not have an ATP ranking because of his extended absence from competition – and owns seven singles titles. He has earned more than $12m in prize money.
The best singles performance by Kyrgios came at Wimbledon last year, when he made it past the quarter-finals of a grand slam tournament for the first time and grabbed the opening set of the final against Djokovic – who now owns a men’s-record 24 major trophies – before losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
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Even those two weeks of sustained excellence were memorable for more than forehands and backhands. Kyrgios was fined $10,000 at Wimbledon after spitting in the direction of a spectator he said was heckling him at his first-round match and $4,000 for cursing during a contentious third-rounder against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who accused him afterward of “bullying” and having “a very evil side”.
The tennis season that just concluded began on a sour note for Kyrgios when he was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open in January because he needed arthroscopic knee surgery. He later dealt with a wrist problem.
Hours before he pulled out of Wimbledon in early July, Kyrgios was asked at a news conference whether he missed tennis during all of the time away.
“No, I don’t miss the sport at all, to be fair. I was almost dreading coming back a little bit,” he said. “But it’s my job.”
It has not been confirmed whether Kyrgios will make his return at January’s Australian Open in Melbourne, but Tennis Australia boss, Craig Tiley, said he expects Kyrgios will be there “in some form”.
“The update is day-by-day with him,” Tiley said last week.
“He’ll be best to assess that … we’re going to have Nick here in some form or another in January. Hopefully it is to play because he’s a crowd-pleaser. We love watching Nick and love having him around.”