Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios believes that his widely reported mental health issues have cost him a few seasons of play and that he will only be a player for one or two more years after he eventually returns to the court.
Since withdrawing at the last minute from the Australian Open this year due to knee, foot, and wrist injuries, the 28-year-old has only participated in one tour match since the Japan Open in October 2022.
Kyrgios announced over the weekend that he would not be participating in his home Grand Slam for the second year in a row. Fans who were hoping he might play well into his 30s received more bad news in a recent podcast.
Kyrgios expressed his thoughts in a recent podcast and said: “I only want to play for about another one to two years, be at the top, and go down my terms. I would hate to have another surgery or anything like that. I think I can still have a good one to two years and then that’s it.”
He added: “I think I’ll be at peace with everything I’ve achieved and I’m going to have to just say, ‘Look, to everyone out there who wants me to play more, you’re just going to have to be OK with me not playing anymore.”
Nick Kyrgios says he doesn’t want to play tennis anymore & he can’t walk without pain, but he has more to give:
“If it was up to me… I don’t really want to play anymore, to be honest. But I have to, almost. I have so much more to give. I’m exhausted. I’m tired. I’ve had 3… pic.twitter.com/tOflDvHw91
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 12, 2023
Nick Kyrgios in 2023
Ranked world no.470, the Australian played his last match on the 13th of June when he surrendered to world no.121 Yibing Wu 7-5 6-3 in the 1st round in Stuttgart (draw).
During this season Kyrgios has a composed 0-1 match record.
