After a disappointing return to the Australian Open, Nick Kyrgios appears to have retirement on the mind.
The 29-year-old Australian tennis star said his return to the tournament — after taking more than two years to recover from an injury — on Monday, Jan. 13 may have been his last time playing a singles match in Australia.
“Realistically, I can’t really see myself playing singles match here again,” Kyrgios told reporters, according to ESPN, after losing in the first round to Jacob Fearnley of Britain at John Cain Arena.
Kyrgios said that competing has become less “enjoyable” since returning to the court after he underwent a full, secret wrist reconstruction in September 2023.
“I was knocking on the door from playing some of the biggest events…winning some of the biggest events. When you’re competing for the biggest tournaments in the world and you’re struggling to win sets, physically, it’s pretty tough.”
“It’s just not enjoyable for me,” Kyrgios admitted while speaking to the media.
According to ESPN, Kyrgios yelled out at one point during the match, “I shouldn’t be f—ing out here.”
Kyrgios told reporters he “didn’t want to just throw in the towel and walk off or retire,” per the Tennis Letter, but admitted he was “hurting physically” during the match. “I respect my oppenent. The fans waited hours to come see me play.”
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When the Australian tennis star entered the court, fans reportedly cheered for the hometown star in his return. Kyrgios told reporters it was “special” being celebrated by the crowd on Monday.
“Yeah, it was special. Like taking that in, it was pretty good,” Kyrgios said of the excitement, per the Tennis Letter, before pointing out that he’ll still be playing in the doubles tournament. “I mean, look, I knew that I have doubles, so I was was kind of taking everything in tonight in those moments. It was, yeah, nuts.”
Reflecting on his career, Kyrgios said, “My journey is not over, but I’ve had an amazing journey,” per ESPN. “My career’s been amazing. I don’t have any regrets.”
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