Nicolai Budkov Kjær
Norwegian tennis player (born 2006)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicolai Budkov Kjær (born 1 September 2006) is a Norwegian professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 118 achieved on 13 July 2026.[1] He is currently the No. 2 singles player from Norway.[2]
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NorwayBudkov Kjaer at the 2025 Wimbledon qualifying | |
| ITF name | Nicolai Budkov Kjaer |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | Norway |
| Born | 1 September 2006 Oslo, Norway |
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Plays | Right handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Alexander Kjaer |
| Prize money | US $746,543 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 9–14 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 4 Challenger |
| Highest ranking | No. 118 (13 July 2026) |
| Current ranking | No. 118 (13 July 2026) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2026) |
| French Open | Q2 (2026) |
| Wimbledon | Q3 (2026) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 0–1 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1,082 (3 March 2025) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | 4–4 |
| Last updated on: 13 July 2026. | |
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
Junior tennis
Budkov Kjær won two Grand Slam Junior titles, at the 2024 French Open with Joel Schwärzler, and in singles at the Wimbledon in the same season, 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
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, Masters third round
In January, Budkov Kjær made his Australian Open debut as a qualifier,[27] facing Reilly Opelka in the first round.
In April, the Norwegian qualified to Madrid Open main draw, after victories over Francesco Maestrelli and Moez Echargui in the qualifying. He advanced to the next round after Reilly Opelka retired due to an injury.[citation needed] He then defeated 31st seed Denis Shapovalov to reach his first Masters third round.[citation needed]
Performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
Current through the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open.
| 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 1000 tournaments | ||||||||||
| Indian Wells Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Miami Open | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Monte-Carlo Masters | Q1 | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
| Madrid Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||||||
| Italian Open | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||||||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||
ATP Challenger Tour finals
Singles: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Feb 2025 | Glasgow Challenger, UK | Challenger | Hard (i) | Viktor Durasovic |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jul 2025 | Tampere Open, Finland | Challenger | Clay |  Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg |
7–6(7–5), 6–7(2–7), 6–2 |
| Win | 3–0 | Jul 2025 | President's Cup, Kazakhstan | Challenger | Hard |  Alexandr Binda |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 4–0 | Sep 2025 | Open de Vendée, France | Challenger | Hard (i) |  Patrick Kypson |
6–0, 6–3 |
| Loss | 4–1 | Mar 2026 | Thionville Open, France | Challenger | Hard (i) |  Sebastian Ofner |
7–6(7–5), 3–6, 6–7(7–9) |
ITF World Tennis Tour finals
Singles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Mar 2024 | M15 Antalya, Turkey | WTT | Clay |  Niels Visker |
6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 2–0 | May 2024 | M15 Antalya, Turkey | WTT | Clay |  Yanaki Milev |
6–1, 6–0 |
| Loss | 2–1 | Dec 2024 | M25 Antalya, Turkey | WTT | Clay |  Mika Brunold |
2–6, 6–7(7–9) |
| Loss | 2–2 | Jan 2025 | M25 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg | WTT | Hard (i) |  Mikael Ymer |
1–6, 7–5, 2–6 |
National and international representation
Davis Cup: 8 (4 victories, 4 defeats)
|
|
|
indicates the outcome of the Davis Cup match followed by the score, date, place of event, the zonal classification and its phase, and the court surface.
| Rubber outcome | No. | Rubber | Match type (partner if any) | Opponent nation | Opponent player(s) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1–4; 16–17 September 2023; Lawn Tennis de la Exposición, Lima, Peru; World Group I play-offs; clay surface | ||||||
| Loss | 1 | II | Singles |  Peru |
Juan Pablo Varillas | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 2 | V | Singles | Ignacio Buse | 2–6, 6–4, [9–11] | |
 4–0; 2–3 February 2024; Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall, Gjøvik, Norway; Davis Cup qualifying round; hard(i) surface | ||||||
| Win | 3 | IV | Singles |  Latvia |
Davis Rolis | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 3–1; 13–14 September 2024; Nadderud Arena, Bekkestua, Norway; Davis Cup qualifying round; hard(i) surface | ||||||
| Win | 4 | I | Singles |  Portugal |
Jaime Faria | 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4) |
| 2–3; 30–31 January 2025; Fjellhamar Arena, Oslo, Norway; Davis Cup qualifying round; hard(i) surface | ||||||
| Loss | 5 | I | Singles |  Argentina |
Tomás Martín Etcheverry | 5–7, 6–2, 6–7(5–7) |
| Loss | 6 | V | Singles | Mariano Navone | 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 | |
| 3–2; 13–14 September 2025; Taipei Tennis Center, Taipei, Chinese Taipei; World Group I; hard(i) surface | ||||||
| Win | 7 | I | Singles |  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) | Casper Ruud |
9–16, 13–14, 13–14 (Round Robin) |
| Win | Jan 2026 | Red Bull Bass Line, Australian Open Fan Week, Melbourne, Australia | Hard |  Jordan Thompson |
5–0, 3–5, 5–3, 5–4 |
Junior Grand Slam finals
Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2024 | Wimbledon | Grass | Mees Röttgering |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 2024 | US Open | Hard |  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 | Joel Schwärzler |
Federico Cinà  Rei Sakamoto |
6–4, 7–6(7–3) |
