Australia's tennis chief announced a series of fundraisers for victims of raging bushfires on Thursday after an appeal from "bad boy" Nick Kyrgios.

The temperamental Australian, a controversial figure in the sport, has been at the forefront of rallying support among players to help.

He has called for an exhibition tournament before the Australian Open Grand Slam after blazes that have claimed 18 lives and forced mass evacuations.

Meanwhile, Kyrgios has pledged 200 Australian dollars (140 U.S. dollars) for each ace he serves across the Australian summer of tennis to support victims of bushfires raging around the country, with the ATP Cup also promising help.

"I'm kicking off the support for those affected by the fires. I'll be donating 200 Australian dollars (140 U.S. dollars) per ace that I hit across all the events I play this summer," tweeted the 24-year-old, who was handed a 16-week suspended ban in September after a series of outbursts.

His Australian teammate Alex de Minaur at the inaugural ATP Cup went one better.

"I like this, I will go 250 Australian dollars (175 U.S. dollars) per ace, just because I don't think I'll be hitting as many aces as you mate," he replied.

Also, fellow Australian players John Millman, John Peers and Sam Stosur quickly followed suit with similar promises.

World number two Novak Djokovic, who is based in Brisbane with Serbia, visited a koala sanctuary and said it brought home to him the devastation wrought by the fires.

"It's very sad to know how many people & animals have lost their homes to the bushfires. My heart and support goes out to all those affected," he tweeted.

After the Boxing Day Test win against New Zealand, Cricket Australia has also unveiled plans to auction off players' shirts to raise funds going to the Australian Red Cross.

"We want to help these communities in a meaningful way and will announce a number of fund raising and support initiatives that will be rolled out across the ATP Cup, Australian Open and our other events over the coming weeks," said Australia's tennis chief Craig Tiley.

The fires have been a big talking point ahead of the 24-team ATP Cup, which gets underway on Friday in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney with top names including Djokovic and Rafael Nadal playing.

Tournament director Tom Larner announced that each ace served at the 10-day event would deliver 100 Australian dollars (70 U.S. dollars) to bushfire relief.

The initiative is forecast to raise around 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 U.S. dollars), with more than 1,500 aces expected to be sent down over the duration of the January 3-12 tournament.

"Most of the players are already keen to score aces and win a quick point, and having the chance to raise money for the bushfire appeal will give them that extra bit of motivation," Larner said.

ATP Cup officials will be relying on on-site medical experts to monitor air quality in Sydney, where cricket and golf events have been affected by haze from the fires in recent weeks.

Larner told reporters this week that air conditions would be closely monitored and play suspended if necessary.