Kyrgios surprises no one with retirement talk

Nick Kyrgios is already touting the end of his patchy tennis career after going missing from the Tour for almost all of the past 15 months.

The unranked Australian who played the Wimbledon final in 2022, managed just one match last season after a January knee procedure a year ago managed to keep him well away from the courts as he misses his second consecutive Australian Open..

Now, after embarrassing Australia with a bro-fest with Novak Djokovic as a “guest interviewer,” the 28-year-old Kyrgios is talking about packing in a once promising career which has faded away to nothing.

“The reality is that there is a part of me that knows my time in this sport may be over,” the former No. 13 wrote in Melbourne’s Age. “And I’m fine with that. 

“I’m at a crossroads in my career; I’ve reached a point where life after tennis is a prospect that excites me.”

The acquired taste that is Kyrgios has taken steps to cement his post-competitive future, starting with an OnlyFans channel  and dipping his toe into television commentary.

Despite not participating as an active player, the Canberra native can’t resist a serve at the current crop of his one-time peers.

“I know in my gut that this generation isn’t as strong as some of the players I’ve faced. It bothers me that there are people out there who think I don’t want to be out there. 

“It’s as if they think I don’t want to play and make excuses for my injuries.”

One thing Kyrgios has not lost is self-confidence and a sense of superiority.

“I know that I can be one of the best in the world and win important tournaments, if my body allows me,” he insisted. 

 “I don’t know when I’ll be back. I hope to be able to recover from the wrist injury that required surgery last year. My body may never be the same again and injuries can take you down a different path than you imagined.” 

Main photo:- Nick Kyrgios in the Eurosport comms box with Nick Lester