Nicolai Budkov Kjær

Nicolai Budkov Kjær
Budkov Kjaer during the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters
ITF nameNicolai Budkov Kjaer
Country (sports) Norway
Born (2006-09-01) 1 September 2006
Oslo, Norway
Height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
PlaysRight handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS $546,749
Singles
Career record7–13 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles0
4 Challenger
Highest rankingNo. 132 (3 November 2025)
Current rankingNo. 132 (9 February 2026)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (2026)
WimbledonQ2 (2025)
Doubles
Career record0–1 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup)
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 1,082 (3 March 2025)
Current rankingNo. 1,186 (9 February 2026)
Team competitions
Davis Cup4–4
Last updated on: 9 February 2026.

Nicolai Budkov Kjær (born 1 September 2006) is a Norwegian professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 132, achieved on 3 November 2025.[1] He is currently the No. 2 singles player from Norway.[2]

Budkov Kjær won four singles titles on ATP Challenger Tour. He represents Norway at the Davis Cup where he has a W/L record of 4–4.

Early life

Budkov Kjær was born to a Norwegian father and an Estonian mother.[3] He has a sister who also plays tennis, Alexandra Budkova Kjær. He lives in Bygdøy, Oslo, and trains at Oslo Tennisarena and Wang Toppidrett.[4][5]

Junior career

Budkov Kjær had remarkable results on ITF junior circuit, where he earned two major jr. titles. Partnering with Joel Schwärzler, he won boys' doubles at the 2024 French Open. Later that season, he also won boys' singles at 2024 Wimbledon, becoming the first Norwegian man to win major titles at either the junior or professional level.[6][7][8]

He reached an ITF junior combined ranking of world No. 1 on 15 July 2024.[9]

Professional career

2023-2024: Davis Cup debut

In September 2023, Budkov Kjær made his Davis Cup debut against Peru.[10]

In February 2024, he replaced Dominic Thiem at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Oslo, the ninth edition of the tournament.[11][12] The following month, he won his first professional title at the $15k Antalya Series. He subsequently made his debut in the top 1000 of the ATP rankings at world No. 897 on 8 April 2024.[1][13][14] He was the first Norwegian to do so since Casper Ruud in 2016. Also in February, he recorded his first Davis Cup win, over Latvian Davis Rolis, and in September his second, with a win over Portuguese Jaime Faria, who was ranked No. 157 at the time.[3] In November, Budkov Kjær defeated former Top 10 player Pablo Carreño Busta at the 2024 Montemar Challenger.[15]

2025: Four Challenger titles, ATP first win

Budkov Kjaer playing at the 2025 Wimbledon qualifying tournament

In February, Budkov Kjær won his first ATP Challenger title defeating fellow countryman Viktor Durasovic in the 2025 Glasgow Challenger.[16] The match up was only the second time ever two Norwegians had met in a Challenger final, after Christian Ruud and Jan Frode Andersen who met in Fürth in 1998. As a result he reached a new career high ranking of No. 297 on 24 February 2025.[1][17]

In April, ranked at a career-high of No. 287, Budkov Kjær received a wildcard for the qualifying competition at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters.[18][19]

In June, Budkov Kjær played his first qualifying match in a Grand Slam event and reached the second qualifying round at 2025 Wimbledon Championships.[20] In July, Budkov Kjær made his ATP debut after qualifying for his first main draw at the 2025 Swedish Open.[21] In the first round he defeated Thiago Monteiro to grab his maiden win on the ATP Tour.[22] Budkov Kjær earned his second Challenger title at the Tampere Open, defeating Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg in the final. As a result, he entered the top 200 at world No. 187 on 28 July 2025, rising close to 70 positions up in the singles rankings.[1][23][24] The following week he won the Astana Challenger after beating Alexandr Binda, putting him sixth in the NextGen ATP race.[25] As a result he reached a new career-high singles ranking of world No. 163 on 4 August 2025.[1]

Ranked at a career-high of No. 149, achieved on 29 September 2025, Budkov Kjær won his fourth Challenger title at the Open de Vendée, defeating Patrick Kypson in the final in 54 minutes, the shortest final in the event’s history. At 19 years old, he also become the youngest champion in the history of the tournament.[26] As a result he reached a new career-high of world No. 136 on 13 October 2025.[1]

2026: Major debut

In January, Budkov Kjær made his Australian Open debut as a qualifier,[27] facing Reilly Opelka in the first round.

Performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

Tournament 2025 2026 SR W–L Win%
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 1R 0 / 1 0–1 0%
French Open A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Wimbledon Q2 0 / 0 0–0  – 
US Open A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Win–loss 0–0 0–1 0 / 1 0–1 0%

ATP Challenger Tour finals

Singles: 4 (4 titles)

Legend
ATP Challenger Tour (4–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (3–0)
Clay (1–0)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Feb 2025 Glasgow Challenger, UK Challenger Hard (i) Norway Viktor Durasovic 6–4, 6–3
Win 2–0 Jul 2025 Tampere Open, Finland Challenger Clay France Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg 7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–2
Win 3–0 Jul 2025 President's Cup, Kazakhstan Challenger Hard Italy Alexandr Binda 6–4, 6–3
Win 4–0 Sep 2025 Open de Vendée, France Challenger Hard (i) United States Patrick Kypson 6–0, 6–3

ITF World Tennis Tour finals

Singles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Legend
ITF WTT (2–2)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–1)
Clay (2–1)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Mar 2024 M15 Antalya, Turkey WTT Clay Netherlands Niels Visker 6–4, 6–3
Win 2–0 May 2024 M15 Antalya, Turkey WTT Clay Bulgaria Yanaki Milev 6–1, 6–0
Loss 2–1 Dec 2024 M25 Antalya, Turkey WTT Clay Switzerland Mika Brunold 2–6, 6–7(7–9)
Loss 2–2 Jan 2025 M25 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg WTT Hard (i) Sweden Mikael Ymer 1–6, 7–5, 2–6

National and international representation

Davis Cup: 8 (4 victories, 4 defeats)

Group membership
World Group (0–0)
WG play-off (0–0)
Group I (4–4)
Group II (0–0)
Group III (0–0)
Group IV (0–0)
Matches by surface
Hard (4–2)
Clay (0–2)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Matches by type
Singles (4–4)
Doubles (0–0)
Rubber outcome No. Rubber Match type (partner if any) Opponent nation Opponent player(s) Score
Decrease1–4; 16–17 September 2023; Lawn Tennis de la Exposición, Lima, Peru; World Group I play-offs; clay surface
Loss 1 II Singles Peru Peru Juan Pablo Varillas 5–7, 4–6
Loss 2 V Singles Ignacio Buse 2–6, 6–4, [9–11]
Increase4–0; 2–3 February 2024; Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall, Gjøvik, Norway; Davis Cup qualifying round; hard(i) surface
Win 3 IV Singles Latvia Latvia Davis Rolis 6–3, 6–4
Increase3–1; 13–14 September 2024; Nadderud Arena, Bekkestua, Norway; Davis Cup qualifying round; hard(i) surface
Win 4 I Singles Portugal Portugal Jaime Faria 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4)
Decrease2–3; 30–31 January 2025; Fjellhamar Arena, Oslo, Norway; Davis Cup qualifying round; hard(i) surface
Loss 5 I Singles Argentina Argentina Tomás Martín Etcheverry 5–7, 6–2, 6–7(5–7)
Loss 6 V Singles Mariano Navone 6–4, 3–6, 4–6
Increase3–2; 13–14 September 2025; Taipei Tennis Center, Taipei, Chinese Taipei; World Group I; hard(i) surface
Win 7 I Singles Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei Wu Tung-lin 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win 8 IV Singles Tseng Chun-hsin 7–6(7–2), 6–4

Exhibition matches

Singles

Result    Date    Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss Feb 2024 Ultimate Tennis Showdown, Oslo, Norway Hard (i) Norway Casper Ruud 9–16, 13–14, 13–14 (Round Robin)

Junior Grand Slam finals

Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 2024 Wimbledon Grass Netherlands Mees Röttgering 6–3, 6–3
Loss 2024 US Open Hard Spain Rafael Jódar 6–2, 2–6, 6–7(1–10)

Doubles: 1 (title)

Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 2024 French Open Clay Austria Joel Schwärzler Italy Federico Cinà
Japan Rei Sakamoto 		6–4, 7–6(7–3)

Awards

2024

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Nicolai Budkov Kjær Rankings history".
  2. ^ "Norway ATP Rankings". ATP Tour. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b Tomás Rico, Andrés (17 July 2024). "This is Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, junior Wimbledon champion in 2024". Punto de Break. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  4. ^ Lübeck, Even (21 April 2023). "Det norske supertalentet trente med verdensstjerner i Monaco: – Evig takknemlig". Eurosport (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  5. ^ Tønder, Rune (31 March 2023). "Supertalentet Nicolai Kjær sikter mot Grand Slams - Tennis Norge". Tennis Norge (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Nicolai Budkov Kjaer makes history in winning junior boys' Wimbledon title; Renata Jamrichova wins girls' title. Nicolai Budkov Kjaer became the first Norwegian man to win a Grand Slam singles title at either the junior or professional level by beating Mees Rottgering of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-3.". 14 July 2024.
  7. ^ Goodall, Lee (14 July 2024). "Nicolai Budkov Kjaer and Renata Jamrichova make history". Wimbledon. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  8. ^ McLean, Ross (14 July 2024). "Budkov Kjaer wins Wimbledon and challenges Ruud to round of golf". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Nicolai Budkov Kjaer Junior Results".
  10. ^ Opphus, Joakim (17 September 2023). "Norsk stortalent fikk seniordebuten – møtte Perus beste mann". Eurosport (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  11. ^ Dunn, Carrie (10 February 2024). "Ruud leads UTS Oslo Final Four". Ultimate Tennis Showdown. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  12. ^ Dunn, Carrie (10 February 2024). "UTS Oslo: Ruud finishes group stage unbeaten despite valiant Kjaer". Tennis Majors. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  13. ^ Rigal, Joseph (2 April 2024). "Norway's Budkov Kjaer wins first pro title at M15 Antalya". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  14. ^ Solland Staveland, Sigurd (31 March 2024). "Nicolai (17) forbauser: – Utrolig". TV 2 (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Tennistalentet Kjær vendte til seier over merittert spansk veteran – klar for kvartfinale". Nettavisen.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 20 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  16. ^ "Budkov Kjaer Clinches Glasgow Challenger Trophy". tennistourtalk.com. 23 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  17. ^ Kjøllmoen Steien, Vegard (23 February 2025). "Budkov Kjær fikk revansj – vant sin aller første Challenger-tittel". Eurosport Norge (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  18. ^ "THEY COMPLETE THE DRAW". 3 April 2025.
  19. ^ "Tennistalentet Nicolai Budkov Kjær har fått wildcard til Monte-Carlo Masters" (in Norwegian). 3 April 2025.
  20. ^ "Nicolai Budkov Kjær sjanseløs mot franskmann - Ute av Wimbledon" (in Norwegian). 15 July 2025.
  21. ^ "Nicolai Budkov Kjær klar for sin første ATP turnering" (in Norwegian). 15 July 2025.
  22. ^ "#NextGenATP Norwegian Budkov Kjaer earns maiden ATP Tour win in Bastad". ATPTour. 15 July 2025.
  23. ^ "Lukas Klein the new king of the ATP Challenger Tour with back-to-back titles". 28 July 2025.
  24. ^ "#NextGenATP Budkov Kjaer returns to Challenger winner's circle; Lajal saves 5 MPs to triumph". ATP Tour. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Budkov Kjaer, 18, banks back-to-back Challenger titles". ATP Tour. 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  26. ^ "Budkov Kjaer Makes History As Youngest Champion At Open De Vendée". tennistourtalk.com. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  27. ^ "Who qualified for the 2026 Australian Open?". ATPTour. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
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