MOST SPORTSMEN AND women face a day when they need to begin planning for a post-athletic career. Many release hagiographic memoirs, some buy a stake in a fitness franchise, others release a line of supplements. Australia’s Nick Kyrgios has never been like most athletes and his latest move only highlights this fact: the tennis player 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, has sat out most this past season, playing just one official singles match in 2023. He’s obviously had plenty of time on his hands to contemplate his future; few would have predicted this would be the result.
For anyone living under a rock the past few years, OnlyFans is a UK-based subscription site where people can pay creators for photos and videos. While it has become a favoured platform for sex workers and adult entertainers, the platform is field agnostic, and there is nothing to stop an athlete like Kyrgios using it to promote his personal brand in ways he sees fit.
“They are revolutionising social media and I wanted to be a part of that,” Kyrgios 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.”
While it remains to be seen what kind of content Kyrgios will share on his account, you can probably expect it to make waves. That is what he does.
“Nick is a disruptor, so it’s great to see him joining our platform, finding new ways to share his content and express himself,” said OnlyFans chief executive Keily Blair.
Kyrgios, who despite being a polarising figure, boasts a committed fan base and is plugged into what younger fans want.
“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!”
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Kyrgios isn’t the first athlete to take to the platform to ply his wares. A number of female stars have accounts, as do a smaller pool of men and Kyrgios is easily the most high profile. If his account is a success, you can expect other athletes to follow suit.
Given his injury woes this season Kyrgios needs to start thinking about back-up options. His season got off to a bad start 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.
“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’s yet to be 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”.
“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.”
A crowd-pleasing showman; Kyrgios and OnlyFans could well be a love match.
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