‘I love the term WAG’: Meet Costeen Hatzi, the girlfriend of tennis star Nick Kyrgios

In her first sit-down interview, Nick Kyrgios’ girlfriend Costeen Hatzi opens up about her relationship with the controversial tennis star – and why his reputation ‘threw her’.

In January, for the third consecutive summer, Costeen Hatzi made her way to Melbourne to attend the Australian Open.

Only this time, she wasn’t there to watch her tennis player partner Nick Kyrgios play. He’d pulled out of the tournament a month prior, owing to knee and wrist injuries. Instead, Hatzi was fronting up to a glamorous event for a brand, where the influencer and model was one of the guests of honour.

The women who sit in the stands or on the sidelines, cheering on their sporting star husbands and boyfriends, have long held a special kind of allure to the public; sometimes, like Hatzi, they end up becoming a story unto themselves.

‘I don’’t know why there are negative connotations.’ Costeen Hatzi. Picture: Damian Bennett for Stellar

The recent Netflix docuseries Break Point, which takes viewers behind the scenes and into the lives of some of the world’s top tennis players (and, occasionally, their partners), has sparked even more interest: who are these ever-supportive wives and girlfriends? What drew them to these men? And as their presence at matches and events – during which some of them are increasingly monetising their roles as brand ambassadors and influencers – becomes more prominent, what do they make of being branded as tennis “WAGs”?

Hatzi, for one, doesn’t mind the title at all. In fact, she embraces it. “I love the term WAG,” the 23-year-old reveals to Stellar.

“I don’t know why there are negative connotations; I don’t know where they came from. I’m my own person, but at the same time I’m supporting my partner, which I’m very happy to do. We support each other.”

In 2021, the Sydney-based Hatzi was working as a receptionist at a car dealership while finishing a degree in psychological science.

“I hated it,” she says of the job. “The only thing that got me through was my girlfriends. We had so much fun working, but it was definitely not what I wanted to do.”

Restless and hungry for somewhere else to direct her energy, she began to dip her toe into the world of influencing via a homewares side hustle she had launched.

“I remember getting out of my nine-to-five job and I used to go home and practise talking to the camera,” she recalls.

‘I love the term WAG!’ Picture: Damian Bennett for Stellar

“I always wanted to go into the influencer role, because I feel like it suits my personality. I love fashion. I love beauty. But I never really took it seriously.”

Then she met Kyrgios. He’d seen a photograph she had posted for a mirror she was selling – her reflection was visible in the mirror – and he messaged her on Instagram.

“I still don’t even understand how it came up on his explore page,” she says, referring to the area of the social media app that highlights recommended photos and reels from accounts the user doesn’t follow.

“He messaged my business page asking if the mirror was available. It was strictly professional. But then,” she adds, “he messaged my personal page, and invited me out to dinner.”

Hatzi, who had just started a new job at a social media management agency, wasn’t an avid tennis fan at the time, but she was aware of Kyrgios as a headline magnet.

“The only thing I knew about him was a media outlet saying he’s a brat,” she recalls. “I definitely had my walls up because his reputation kind of threw me off a bit, which is unfair. In hindsight, I should have just been a bit less judgmental.”

The two eventually met up for a dinner date, and Hatzi quickly discovered that the man sitting with her was a far cry from his reputation in the media.

A far cry from his reputation! Costeen Hatzi and Nick Kyrgios. Picture: Instagram

Nick Kyrgios and girlfriend Costeen Hatzi. Picture: Instagram

“He was the complete opposite,” she tells Stellar. “I thought he was going to be rude, but he was super respectful, nice and caring.”

They made and met for another date; after that, she says, “We spent every single day together for a whole year. We just fell in love pretty fast. We loved being around each other. We love each other’s energy.”

Early on, Kyrgios told Hatzi that dating him would come with paparazzi intrusion, and that if and when he began sharing their relationship on social media, she would find herself thrust into the spotlight. He was right. Her followers on Instagram quickly ballooned from 9000 to more than 180,000, and she resigned from the agency to pursue her new career and travel with Kyrgios.

“He shares a lot on social media, and I think because he’d always post [about] me, that translated into followers. I think that’s how [my influencing career] began. I have to give the credit to Nick.”

Kyrgios may have opened the doors for Hatzi, but her vision and work ethic were required to keep them open. She used the platform to launch her own designer dress hire business.

Dating Kyrgios has taken Hatzi from a desk job to private jets and around-the-world trips, and provided a few moments of disbelief along the way.

Take the 2022 grand slam final at Wimbledon, which found her sitting in his player’s box just metres from members of the UK royal family.

“There was little Prince George watching Nick,” she recalls. “It was wild then seeing Kate [the Princess of Wales] hand the trophy to Nick. I kept thinking, this is so surreal.”

It hasn’t all been quite so glamorous. Last year, Kyrgios pleaded guilty but wasn’t convicted of common assault after pushing his ex-partner Chiara Passari on a night out in 2021.

Hatzi stood by his side then, and she’s remained there through Kyrgios’ ongoing injury and mental-health battles, which he has spoken about in the past.

She says the strength of their relationship has sustained them through any struggles. “Honestly, I think it’s because we truly, really love each other,” Hatzi adds.

“We know we’re in it for the right reason so we’re very strong in that way. We just have each other’s backs. We’re a team.”

Hatzi says the two try to spend no more than two weeks apart when he is on the road, and that she makes a point to lend her support however she can.

“I always talk to him about how he’s feeling and where his head is at,” she says.

“He’s dealing with injury right now, so I’m doing the small things, like trying to massage his wrist. Whenever he’s travelling and playing, I like to help out by cooking or cleaning. That’s really what he values when he’s on the road – just a good, home-cooked meal or someone to help him with the washing. And I like doing that for him, because it sets him up for the tournament.”

Kyrgios, in turn, repays the favour. “If I’m shooting content I need to find locations and get someone to film,” she explains. “Usually my manager comes with me, or sometimes Nick helps. He’s more than happy to help me.”

Following the couple’s two-year anniversary at the end of last year, fans have ramped up speculation that Kyrgios and Hatzi will wed. However, she says that when the time comes for getting married and starting a family, the couple will let their followers know.

“It will come one day. We’ve definitely had conversations,” she adds. “We love each other, and there’s no rush. It’ll happen when it happens. Nick tells me every day that he wants a baby.”

For now, she’s focused on the future, with an interest in launching a fashion or beauty brand aimed at promoting self-confidence.

“It’s hard in this day and age, with everyone using filters on Instagram,” she explains. “I just want younger girls to be happy with themselves and to stop comparing themselves to what they see online.”

If the past few years have taught Hatzi anything, it’s that you can’t predict what lies ahead. “The girls [from the car dealership] often message me and say, ‘Remember when we used to work together?’ My life is funny like that. I don’t know how I got here, but I’m super grateful.”

For more from Stellar, listen to the latest episode of Something To Talk About below:

Originally published as ‘I love the term WAG’: Meet Costeen Hatzi, the girlfriend of tennis star Nick Kyrgios