Nicolai Budkov Kjær (born 1 September 2006) is a Norwegian professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 187, achieved on 28 July 2025.[1] He is currently the No. 2 singles player from Norway.[2]
Budkov Kjær reached an ITF junior combined ranking of world No. 1 on 15 July 2024. He represents Norway at the Davis Cup where he has a W/L record of 2–4.
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]
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: Challenger titles, ATP Tour debut & first win, top 175
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, putting him in ninth position in the NextGen ATP race.[21] In the first round he defeated Thiago Monteiro to grab his maiden win on the ATP Tour.[22]
Ranked No. 253, 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.[23][24] The following week he won the Astana Challenger after beating Alexandr Binda. As a result he reached a new career-high live singles ranking of world No. 163 in August 2025, putting him sixth in the NextGen ATP race.[25]
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Norway
Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg
Alexandr Binda
Niels Visker
Yanaki Milev
Mika Brunold
Mikael Ymer
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.
1–4; 16–17 September 2023; Lawn Tennis de la Exposición, Lima, Peru; World Group I play-offs; clay surface
Peru
4–0; 2–3 February 2024; Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall, Gjøvik, Norway; Davis Cup qualifying round; hard(i) surface
Latvia
Portugal
Argentina
Rafael Jódar
Joel Schwärzler
Rei Sakamoto
