Nick Kyrgios will be among the headline names when The Garden Cup takes place inside Madison Square Garden, an exhibition that pairs men’s and women’s singles with mixed doubles. The event features Kyrgios alongside Tommy Paul, Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka.

Kyrgios has not defined his 2026 plans and is concentrating on this late-season exhibition. “To be able to go out there again and share the court with some of the most iconic tennis players—like Aryna, Naomi and Tommy—it’s so special,” he said ahead of the event. He immediately stressed how meaningful the setting is after a difficult run with injuries. “I’m not taking it for granted. Obviously, the last couple years for me has been pretty rocky, injury-wise. I’m not going to take it for granted that we’re playing in such a stadium in front of over 16,000 people, as I heard, with a 19,000 capacity. It’s pretty cool.”

A lifelong basketball fan, Kyrgios pointed to a non-tennis memory as emblematic of his affection for the arena. “My favorite moment ever in Madison Square Garden is when Paul Pierce hit a game-winner over Amar’e Stoudemire. That was honestly my favorite moment. I just love every time the Celtics come into Madison Square Garden and beat the Knicks.”

The 30-year-old Australian spent much of 2025 sidelined, playing only four tournaments — Brisbane, the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami — and compiling a 1–4 record. Knee and wrist problems have required surgery and extended recovery, and his last official tour-level event came in March. He has remained active in exhibitions, including a cameo as Richard Gasquet’s coach during UTS and recent participation in The Atlanta Cup with Ben Shelton, Sabalenka and Osaka.

“Tennis is a tricky one, because nothing’s guaranteed in the sport,” Kyrgios said. “When you’re injured, you’re losing time in the sport, you’re potentially losing money, you’re losing ranking points.

“That makes it tricky, because you try and come back earlier than you maybe should, and then you have a couple more setbacks.”

He has signaled interest in competing at the Australian Open and confirmed he will join the new ‘1 Point Slam’ alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner before the first major. His ranking has slipped outside the Top 600 after his protected ranking of No. 21 expired. “I’m just not taking these moments for granted anymore,” Kyrgios reflected. “It sounds pretty generic, but I think, when you’re a young 20-year-old, you’re just looking forward to the next event or the next result. You win a title, but you don’t really reflect on it at all.

“So I think now, I look back at some of the things that I’ve achieved in the sport and I can kind of be pretty proud of those moments.”

Tommy Paul closed out his 2025 campaign after a third-round exit at the US Open and took an extended break to heal a foot injury. Three months on, he returns to New York to open his 2026 season early, scheduled to face Nick Kyrgios in the Garden Cup at Madison Square Garden after what he joked was “the longest off-season ever.”

“I’ve been super fired up about it,” Paul told me over the phone, driving back from practice. “I don’t usually start playing practice matches or points until about two weeks before I leave for Australia. This year with Garden Cup, I’ve started playing two weeks ago! So, I’ve been playing points for a while and I’ve been really excited about it, you know?

“I’ll tell you what, I’ve never prepared for an exhibition this much! I’m treating it like it’s two weeks out of Australia right now!”

Paul spent most of his break in South Florida, with a short vacation in the Bahamas, preferring to stay close to home rather than take a long trip. “Hey, my life is a vacation, you know?” Paul said with a laugh. “Between training and fishing, I don’t need too much.”

The recovery followed a season that had been trending toward a breakthrough. Paul reached back-to-back Grand Slam quarterfinals and recorded a Top 10 debut, but he felt a pop in his foot at Roland Garros. He played through to a career-high No. 8 and competed in four more events before stopping his year in Flushing Meadows.

“You can play matches in practice and say that you’re pushing yourself hard, but there’s nothing that pushes you the way playing a real match does. You push the boundaries that much more, and push yourself that much harder…I’m excited for those things, where you get to a ball in a match you probably wouldn’t get to in practice…In everything I do, I just love competing and it’s the whole reason why I started playing the sport. Tommy Paul”

“Earlier in my career, I felt like I was struggling with injuries a little bit,” he reflected, then added that he treated the shutdown as a chance to rest and prepare for the second half of his career.

Fueled by his favorite CELSIUS energy drink , Paul has been feeling Peach Vibes in more ways than one this fall. He has also pushed up his schedule, entering Brisbane in addition to Adelaide to build toward the Australian Open. “For me, it’s not really the travel out there as much as competing,” Paul explained. “I miss competing. I’m jealous of all the people competing more than anything else.”

At home he and fiancée Paige Lorenze have put up Christmas trees and kept wedding planning mostly in her hands. “She’s so good at that kind of stuff!” he said. “This is the first wedding that she’s planned, but I trust her with my life. She’s doing most of it, and likes bringing stuff and asking me questions about it. I would totally trust her regardless. She has the best taste for that kind of stuff. I think it’s going to be an absolutely amazing wedding, I’m so excited.”

But first, Paul will head back to New York to celebrate a different union, one that promises to reconnect him with his competitive fire.

A star-studded exhibition has arrived at Madison Square Garden as top players converge for The Garden Cup. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka headline a program that also features Tommy Paul and Nick Kyrgios. The card includes two marquee singles match-ups — Osaka vs. Sabalenka and Kyrgios vs. Paul — plus a mixed doubles pairing that will see Osaka and Kyrgios face Sabalenka and Paul.

The Garden Cup follows a busy run of late-season exhibition events. The Charlotte Invitational on December 4 brought out Venus Williams, Madison Keys, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, and the Atlanta Cup on December 6 featured Ben Shelton alongside Kyrgios, Sabalenka and Osaka. Nearby, New Jersey hosted A Racquet on the Rock with Carlos Alcaraz, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Tiafoe. The Miami Invitational on Monday will feature Alcaraz facing Joao Fonseca.

For Sabalenka, playing at the Garden carries extra significance. “I’m so excited to perform there, knowing how many big concerts were played there and big events that have happened there,” Sabalenka said. “I’m super excited just to put my feet on that floor, hopefully it’s gonna be fun.” Osaka, likewise, is focused on delivering an entertaining show. “I just hope that everyone will be very entertained! The vibe that I want to bring is just a lot of fun.”

Paul described his first visit to the arena as surreal. “Today was the first time I ever went (to Madison Square Garden) for any sort of event. I was on the floor for a Knicks game. I feel like that’s pretty cool!” He added he was eager for the New York crowd. “The thing about New York, I feel like the fans bring a different kind of energy already, so you can just feed off them. Whatever energy they give you, you can just give it right back.”

Kyrgios, who has played at the Garden before, leaned into the venue’s history and the competitive atmosphere. “I love every time the Celtics come to Madison Square Garden and beat the Knicks… My favorite MSG moment was when Paul Pierce hit a game winner over Amar’e Stoudemire. Honestly, my favorite moment.” He also said, “It’s just a powerful arena, you know. You think about all the banners up there and everything historically that’s happened in that arena. It’s very special.” On his mindset for the event, he added, “I’m bringing that villain energy,” he grins. “I think Tommy obviously is going to be the favorite… But just being able to go out there and share the court with some of the most iconic tennis players—like Aryna, Naomi and Tommy—is very special. Obviously, the last couple of years for me has been pretty rocky, injury-wise, so I’m not going to take this moment for granted.”