Nick Kyrgios has revealed he not needs to play tennis anymore as hypothesis mounts the 28-year-old Aussie won’t play one other skilled match.
Just days after he introduced on his OnlyFans account that he wouldn’t be competing on the 2024 Australian Open because of his ongoing rehabilitation from knee and wrist accidents, the Canberran revealed his physique had been fully worn down by the rigours of the skilled tour.
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“If it was up to me, I don’t really want to play anymore to be honest,” Kyrgios advised the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast on Tuesday.
“I have to, almost (keep playing). I’ve got so much more to give, but for me, I don’t feel like playing anymore.
“I’m exhausted, I’m tired. I have had three surgeries now that, I’m only 28 years old, I always wanted to have a family and not be in pain. When I get up, I can’t walk without pain.
“It’s a tough gig.”
Kyrgios has performed just one match in 2023 because of harm and has dropped off the ATP rankings listing because of this.
However he maintains a protected rating of 21 which can permit him to right away return to the highest occasions on the ATP Tour when he lastly manages to get his physique proper.
“I only want to play for about another one to two years and be at the top and go down my own terms,” Kyrgios stated.
“Like I would hate to have another surgery or anything like that. So I think I’ve still got the ability to have a good one to two years and then that’s it.
“I think I’ll be at peace with everything I’ve achieved. I’m going to have to just say to everyone out there who wants me to play more, ‘You’re just going to have to be OK with me not playing anymore’.”
The feedback will solely gasoline rumours that Kyrgios’ retirement from tennis is imminent.
The Aussie has at all times instructed he would retire younger and has brazenly mentioned his lack of affection for the game of tennis and the strict way of life life on the skilled tour calls for.
Speculation has been rising rapidly since Kyrgios’ “heartbreaking” announcement on December 9 that he can be pressured to overlook the Australian Open because of harm.
“Obviously had a really tough year with injury, had that knee surgery and came back a little too soon, (which has) set me back a little bit (and I’ve) had some wrist issues,” Kyrgios advised his OnlyFans subscribers.
“So, this is a very disappointing time for me, but I won’t be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open.”
That announcement prompted a prediction from main Australian tennis analyst Brett Phillips that Kyrgios might by no means play once more because of his accidents and his lack of enjoying time previously 12 months.
“The injuries have caught up with him. I actually think he’s going to struggle to get back, to be totally honest,” Phillips advised SEN Breakfast.
“There’s a plethora of stuff he can do away from tennis. He’s dabbled in commentary recently and made a good fist of that, we know he’s got a good IQ and he’s got his foundation, he’ll be in demand.
“I mean he’s 28. Nick Kyrgios never spoke about being a tennis player who was going to play deep into his 30s and have a long career of tennis, he spoke about being possibly retired two years ago.
“I think these injuries, the knee, wrist, they’re two of the worst you can get in tennis.
“(Juan Martin) Del Potro couldn’t come back from a wrist injury, Roger Federer couldn’t get back from a couple of knee surgeries… the physical demands of the game, if you look what has happened since Nick has been largely inactive, the breed of talent that’s come through, they’re at a whole other level.”
The former world No. 13 and Wimbledon finalist may also need to take care of a youthful technology of gamers lastly threatening to interrupt Novak Djokovic’s stranglehold on the game, together with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“Kyrgios could come back and he’s got his serve which could make him ultra competitive but to go with these guys off the ground, your lateral movement, physicality, that’s never been Nick’s strong suit, to be totally honest,” Phillips stated.
“So I’m fascinated. I think the longer he’s out it’s going to be harder for him to come back and whether he’s got the total desire to come back, he’s got so much going on that I don’t know if it’s absolute top billing for him to be a professional tennis player first and foremost, we’ve questioned that for a number of years.
“We’re just used to him not playing, which is the reality of the situation.”
Kyrgios’ lack of affection for tennis was clear to see as he revealed to The Athletic how he’s discovered life in 2023 to be equally as satisfying to what he skilled in 2022, regardless of this 12 months being punctuated by accidents.
On the opposite hand in 2022 Kyrgios in 13 tournaments, gained his seventh profession singles title in Washington together with 4 quarter-finals and three semi-final appearances, ending with a 37-10 document and banking nearly $4.55 million.
Kyrgios additionally gained 5 straight matches on the All England membership to make the Wimbledon closing in 2022.
“I played a full year last year, no injuries, had great results, had a great year,” Kyrgios stated.
“I barely played this year, two surgeries, and now still, I would probably say they’re both equally as fine, which is crazy.
“Most tennis players would be like ‘this was just depressing’. People would be struggling, they would be like ‘what do I do, who’s my identity?’.
“This year, it’s been equally as enjoyable as last year. That’s just my personality and how different it is. That’s the crazy thing.”
A variety of that’s right down to the very fact Kyrgios was capable of spend prolonged time with associates, household and accomplice Costeen Hatzi with out the grind of Tour journey.
That 2022 output had additionally taken a significant toll.
“I was spent after I got home after the US Open (in November 2022), I was cooked,” he stated.
“I was so mentally fried. I was just so tired. Physically, I felt fine but just mentally, I was over it. So maybe this year is a counterbalance.”
The Australian Open begins on January 14 with Kyrgios set to make an look as a commentator.
Source: www.news.com.au
