'I don't owe anything to anyone': Nick Kyrgios hits back at former star as he waits for Australian Open wildcard

Nick Kyrgios may not have received a wildcard entry into the Australian Open just yet, but he is in no mood to let external noise shift his focus away from his upcoming battles.

Kyrgios has dealt with his fair share of critics over the years, but no amount of external noise has ever seemed to rattle the local star; rather it only fuels his fire to win more.

Former British No.1 Greg Rusedski was the latest ex-player to take aim at Kyrgios and declared that the 30-year-old is not at the standards of those in the grand slam arena.

READ MORE: Smith defends Khawaja after 'racial stereotypes' claim

READ MORE: Veteran stuns rival after epic 22-shot 'lungbuster' rally

READ MORE: Smith denies retirement talk as SCG mystery deepens

It remains unclear if the 30-year-old will receive a wildcard into the main draw, but if it were up to Rusedski, Kyrgios would not be given entry to play in the tournament.

"He'd have to have some phenomenal results and win in Brisbane or go deep and get to quarters or semi," Rusedski said on the Off-Court podcast.

"He doesn't look in the right shape to play. And you've got to think of all those young Australian up-and-coming players to give them the opportunity to play.

"He is box office (talent). He brings people into stadiums, which is the positive, but I think in Australia, he's going to have to show some form.

"From (the Battle of the Sexes) performance and what he looked like physically, I wouldn't do it ... he doesn't look in good enough shape to play three out of five sets."

Asked his thoughts on Rusedski's comments, Kyrgios had a blunt response.

"I'm pretty sure Greg got done for performance enhancing drugs one time in his career, so I wouldn't take too much advice from someone like that," he told 9News.

"Remind me when the last time he sold out one of his matches."

Rusedski returned a positive test for a banned substance in 2004, but insisted he was not guilty of knowingly taking the performance-enhancing substance.

He was cleared of any ban after being found innocent by the panel at the ATP hearing.

Kyrgios then admitted on Saturday that if he felt he could not deliver the full "Nick Kyrgios experience" to fans, he would give up his wildcard entry for the Australian Open.

"[John] Milliman gave his wildcard up for me when he was injured at the French Open," he told reporters at his Brisbane International pre-tournament press conference.

"He wasn't feeling 100 per cent, and that is where everything kicked off for me in my career. After that moment, I became a different player. I learned so much.

"If I am feeling great and I can get through this week and perform at the Australian Open ... people are paying good money to be there. If I can't give them the Kyrgios experience I would genuinely rather give it to someone that earned the wildcard and is in tip-top shape to start off something special in their career."

Kyrgios confirmed that he would not be opposed to receiving a wildcard entry into the qualifying tournament for the Australian Open if that was his only option, too.

Kyrgios is set to return to the court for his first professional match since March last year, having spent nine months on the sidelines as he recovered from injury.

The pressure of returning to the tour does not seem to faze Kyrgios, especially after the heavy attention and criticism he endured with the Battle of the Sexes match.

In fact, he feels he no longer has anything to prove to the world when on the court.

"My goal is to just get out there and enjoy myself," Kyrgios told 9News.

"I don't really owe anything to anyone at this point in my career. I have nothing left to prove, to be honest."

The Aussie tennis summer kicks off with the 2026 United Cup from Friday, January 2. Watch it live and free on Nine and 9Now.

"I'm really excited to be back in Brisbane. It's always good to be back (for) the Aussie summer. I've obviously had some great memories here.

"I'm just glad to be healthy and I'm doing my best to be able to get back out on court."

Even though he may not have all former players on side as it seems, Kyrgios can count on the support and praise of a fellow athlete, Daniil Medvedev.

"Nick is an amazing player," he said.

"No one knows how his body is at the minute because when you play a full tournament, you need to play a lot of games in a row, especially if it is a grand slam.

"I don't know if even he knows or if he wants to try and see how it goes, but when he can play, he can beat literally anyone."

Medvedev is returning to the Brisbane International for the first time in two years in hopes of improving his ranking heading into the new calendar year.

He enters the Queensland-based tournament as the top seed.

"My ranking dropped a bit, so I needed to play one more tournament at the start of the year, which I haven't done for the last two years," he said.

"Last time I played here I made the finals, so I will try to do better."

Kyrgios and Medvedev will take to the court at the Brisbane International on January 4.