| Nicolai Budkov Kjær | |
| Itf Name: | Nicolai Budkov Kjaer |
| Birth Date: | 2006 9, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Oslo, Norway |
| Careerprizemoney: | US $7,060 |
| Singlesrecord: | 2–2 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Singlestitles: | 0 |
| Highestsinglesranking: | No. 594 (25 November 2024) |
| Currentsinglesranking: | No. 594 (25 November 2024) |
| Australianopenjuniorresult: | SF (2024) |
| Frenchopenjuniorresult: | 1R (2024) |
| Wimbledonjuniorresult: | W (2024) |
| Usopenjuniorresult: | F (2024) |
| Doublesrecord: | 0–0 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Doublestitles: | 0 |
| Australianopendoublesjuniorresult: | QF (2024) |
| Frenchopendoublesjuniorresult: | W (2024) |
| Wimbledondoublesjuniorresult: | QF (2024) |
| Usopendoublesjuniorresult: | SF (2024) |
| Team: | yes |
| Daviscupresult: | 2–2 |
| Updated: | 22 November 2024 |
Nicolai Budkov Kjær (born 1 September 2006) is a Norwegian professional tennis player. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of No. 594, achieved on 25 November 2024. He also has a career-high ITF junior combined ranking of No. 1, achieved on 15 July 2024.
Kjær represents Norway at the Davis Cup where he has a W/L record of 2–2.
Nicolai Budkov Kjær was born to a Norwegian father and an Estonian mother. In Monaco, he played 3 years, 30 wins and 1 defeat : Darris Tondereau (a promising player in Nice) .[1] He lives in Bygdøy, Oslo, and trains at Oslo Tennisarena and Wang Toppidrett.[2] [3]
He won the 2024 Wimbledon Championships boys' singles title, the first Norwegian to do so.[4] [5] He also won the 2024 French Open boys' doubles title alongside Joel Schwärzler, also the first for a Norwegian.[6]
He made his Davis debut in September 2023 against Peru.[7]
In February 2024, he replaced Dominic Thiem at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Oslo, the ninth edition of the tournament.[8] [9] 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 No. 897.[10] [11] He was the first Norwegian to do so since Casper Ruud in 2016.
In September 2024, Kjær recorded his first Davis Cup victory, with a win over Portuguese Jaime Faria, who was ranked No. 157 at the time.
In November 2024, Kjær defeated former Top 10 player Pablo Carreño Busta at the 2024 Montemar Challenger.
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | M15 Antalya, Turkey | WTT | Clay | Niels Visker | 6–4, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 2–0 | M15 Antalya, Turkey | WTT | Clay | Yanaki Milev | 6–1, 6–0 | ||
| Loss | 2–1 | M25 Antalya, Turkey | WTT | Clay | Mika Brunold | 2-6, 6–7(7–9) |
| Result | Year | width=130 | Tournament | Surface | width=150 | Opponent | width=130 class=unsortable | 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) |
|
|
|
| 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] | |