Nick Kyrgios has been away from tennis for nearly two years now, and yet he continues to capture the headlines.
Such is his captivating and controversial personality, even his various punditry roles of late have garnered mass attention, suggesting that no matter what he does he will always be the in demand.
Hated or adored, he will not care, and this outlook explains the reasoning behind the name of the podcast he has been speaking on: Good Trouble.
This week’s guest was none other than Naomi Osaka, and above all else, the two discussed what it’s like to take huge leaves mid-way through their careers for various reasons.
Nick Kyrgios misses one big thing about playing tennis
Speaking to the Japanese tennis player and former WTA world number one, the two discussed their respective absences from the sport.
Whilst Osaka’s was a chosen path, enjoying a hiatus to become a mother, Kyrgios’ current one is enforced through injury.
However, he remains upbeat on the surface, and when asked by his guest about what he misses most about playing, his answer was as provocative as you’d expect.
He noted: ‘I guess p***ing people off. I love stirring s*** up. That’s what I truly do miss about competing. I miss going out there and proving people wrong.
‘People just want to see something crazy with me like hurricane a racquet over the fence or something, they actually want to see you [Naomi Osaka] play tennis.’
When will Nick Kyrgios be back from injury?
Well, in typical Kyrgios fashion, the Australian livewire has been rather coy on his recovery from injury.
Having played just one match on the ATP Tour since October 2022, it has been a long and arduous process, and one consistently hampered by further setbacks.
Not only did the 28-year-old suffer significant damage to his knee, but he also has been nursing a wrist injury, both of which have delayed his return.
The latter is likely proving particularly tough to shake, given its importance for a tennis player, and he even detailed his sympathy for Dominic Thiem, who too was suffering from a similar issue: ‘Take your time @domithiem. Wrists are incredibly tough. You have achieved amazing things in your career and you should be proud! If you come back it’s a bonus for us all.’
During his absence from playing the sport though, Kyrgios has been able to focus on things outside of tennis, honing his punditry skills and simply enjoying life.
It has been refreshing to see, what looks like on the surface, a much happier and carefree Kyrgios, unburdened by the stresses of professional sport.
We all patiently await his imminent return, which he is yet to put a date on, however given he suggested he was returning to the court earlier this month, we are certainly on the road to recovery.
Hopefully, by the end of the year we could see some tangible action, preparing him for what could be a huge 2025 where it might be anyone’s game.
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