The future of Australia’s Nick Kyrgios as a tennis player continues to be a topic of intense speculation. The 29-year-old has been absent from the game for over 15 months due to a knee injury, and it remains unclear when he will make his comeback.
Kyrgios last played a professional match in June 2023, when he lost to China’s Wu Yibing during the Stuttgart Open.
It was a one-off outing as the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up was again sidelined because of a knee problem and had to undergo a few more surgeries to continue playing at the highest level.
After staying out of the court, the former world number 10 was recently asked on the social media platform Instagram whether he has retired from the sport already, something he instantly denied.
Nick Kyrgios reveals retirement plan
However, Kyrgios, while talking in a Straight Talk Podcasth, suggested that his retirement may not be too far away.
“I said I didn’t want to play over 30,” he said. “When I first came on to the scene when I was 18, I said I didn’t want to play over 30 years old. I want a family, I would like a kid before 30 and I would like to have a big family and I want to be present with them. Hopefully I can build something outside of tennis as well and I can be present with my family and give them as much learning and time as possible.
“I would say probably a year or two I would be playing tennis for and I don’t want to be one of those players who fizzles out. I want to go out on my own terms and go out competing for some of the biggest tournaments in the world.
“I look at some players, not like I think it’s a bad thing, but Andy Murray and some of these great champions who were at the top of the sport, who are still at the top, but not competing for grand slams and that’s not what I want to do. I don’t love the game that much. So ideally one or two more good years and then I’ll hang up the sticks.”
Nick Kyrgios – the career so far
The world of sports always needs characters who can thrill the fans with their passion and uniqueness, and Kyrgios can very well be qualified as the one who has been doing that in tennis for some time.
What sets the 29-year-old apart is not just his ranking, but his unique personality. Kyrgios, with his fighter-like attitude on and off the court, and his unconventional opinions, has always managed to captivate the tennis fans all over the world.
Kyrgios has staged competed in some of the most captivating matches in tennis over recent times, with his battles against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer often hugely engaging.
The Canberra-born star is one of very few players who can claim to have beaten Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray over the course of their career. Indeed, Kyrgios actually holds a winning record against Djokovic, having beaten him on two out of the three occasions they have faced.
There is always a feeling around the enigmatic talent that he raises his level on the big occasion, and it the smaller contests where he has struggled to maintain consistency.
Kygrios has reached a Wimbledon final, and got as far as the quarters in both the US Open and The Australian Open but, despite his natural talent, he has never been able to win a slam.
He does have a total of seven titles on the ATP tour, though, and reached a career high ranking of 13 back in 2016.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
