Dec. 13 (UPI) — Australian Nick Kyrgios no longer wants to play tennis, he announced during a podcast interview. The 28-year-old said he plans to compete for another “one to two years” before stepping away from the game.
Kyrgios made the comments during an episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty. The Wimbledon 2022 finalist, who has struggled with injuries, played just one competitive match in 2023. He lost to Yibing Wu in that Round of 32 meeting June 13 at the 2023 Stuttgart Open.
He did not appear in any Grand Slams during the 2023 campaign, missing the majors due to knee and wrist issues. Kyrgios
“If it was up to me, I don’t really want to play anymore, to be honest,” Kyrgios said. “I have to, almost. I’ve got so much more to give, but, for me, I don’t feel like playing anymore.”
Kyrgios, who is now unranked, was listed as the No. 470 men’s singles player in the world in October. He was listed inside the Top 20 in February. Kyrgios reached a career-high No. 13 ranking in 2016. He has a 205-114 record, with seven titles, since turning professional in 2013.
He also is one of just a few players with a winning record (2-1) in career meetings with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia. The lone loss came in the Wimbledon 2022 final.
Kyrgios, who plans to return in 2024, cited exhaustion and three surgeries, related to his body breaking down from tennis. He said he wants to “have a family and not be in pain.”
“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. “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.”
Kyrgios previously detailed his struggles with mental health, drugs and alcohol on social media and on the Netflix series Break Point. He said he spent time in 2019 in a psychiatric ward because he had suicidal thoughts.
“I don’t even really love the sport,” Kyrgios said. “Like, I’m only doing this because I love taking care of my family, my people. I want to do this so I can to prove that, no matter how much of an underdog you are, you can achieve something.”
The 2024 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam on the annual tennis calendar, will be held from Jan. 15 to 28 in Melbourne.
If you or someone you know is suicidal, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
