Nick Kyrgios has revealed he no longer wants to play tennis anymore as speculation mounts the 28-year-old Aussie will not play another professional match.
Just days after he announced on his OnlyFans account that he would not be competing at the 2024 Australian Open due to his ongoing rehabilitation from knee and wrist injuries, the Canberran revealed his body had been completely worn down by the rigours of the professional tour.
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“If it was up to me, I don’t really want to play anymore to be honest,” Kyrgios told 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 played only one match in 2023 due to injury and has dropped off the ATP rankings list as a result.
However he maintains a protected ranking of 21 which will allow him to immediately return to the top events on the ATP Tour when he finally manages to get his body right.
“I only want to play for about another one to two years and be at the top and go down my own terms,” Kyrgios said.
“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 comments will only fuel rumours that Kyrgios’ retirement from tennis is imminent.
The Aussie has always suggested he would retire young and has openly discussed his lack of love for the sport of tennis and the strict lifestyle life on the professional tour demands.
Speculation has been growing quickly since Kyrgios’ “heartbreaking” announcement on December 9 that he would be forced to miss the Australian Open due to injury.
“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 told 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 leading Australian tennis analyst Brett Phillips that Kyrgios may never play again due to his injuries and his lack of playing time in the past 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 told 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 will also have to deal with a younger generation of players finally threatening to break Novak Djokovic’s stranglehold on the sport, including 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 said.
“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 love for tennis was clear to see as he revealed to The Athletic how he’s found life in 2023 to be equally as enjoyable to what he experienced in 2022, despite this year being punctuated by injuries.
On the other hand in 2022 Kyrgios in 13 tournaments, won his seventh career singles title in Washington along with four quarter-finals and three semi-final appearances, finishing with a 37-10 record and banking almost $4.55 million.
Kyrgios also won five straight matches at the All England club to make the Wimbledon final in 2022.
“I played a full year last year, no injuries, had great results, had a great year,” Kyrgios said.
“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 lot of that is down to the fact Kyrgios was able to spend extended time with friends, family and partner Costeen Hatzi without the grind of Tour travel.
That 2022 output had also taken a major toll.
“I was spent after I got home after the US Open (in November 2022), I was cooked,” he said.
“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 appearance as a commentator.