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Matt Walsh, Assistant Editor
MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian tennis phenom Nick Kyrgios said he might never make it back to playing professional tennis, and that he’s contemplating retiring to focus on a burgeoning media career.
In a column penned for The Sydney Morning Herald, the one-time world No. 13 and 2022 Wimbledon finalist said he’s “at a crossroads” in his career, and that while he still does have a desire to compete at the highest level, he’s been enjoying being away from the courts doing the media rounds.
The 28-year-old has been commentating for ESPN and Eurosport at this year’s Australian Open as he continues to recover from a knee injury that has been affecting him since January 2023.
“I sat down with my agent, Stuart Duguid, a couple of days ago to talk about my future. The reality is, there is a part of me that knows my time in the sport may be over. And I’m OK with that,” Kyrgios said in the column.
“It’s a conversation that needed to be had. I’m at a crossroads in my career and have reached a point where life after tennis is a prospect that excites me.”
Kyrgios’ tennis commentary has been a hit with audiences across the world, and his talk show Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios officially launches this week, with a number of high-profile guests lined up, including returning women’s star Naomi Osaka, actor Rainn Wilson and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, among others.
“I could travel the world making really good money commentating on the sport, doing things like I am now with my talk show interviewing guys like Gordon Ramsay and Mike Tyson,” Kyrgios said.
“[Other players’] entire world revolves around playing tennis, and that’s never been me.”
The Australian’s last full year on the tennis tour was a fruitful one; in January 2022 he won the men’s doubles title with good friend and compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, while he also made a maiden Slam final at Wimbledon, where he lost to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in four hotly-contested sets.
Kyrgios said he knows he can still compete for titles, but his body is letting him down.
“I sit there and watch some of the players on tour and know within myself that this generation is not as strong as some of the players I have gone up against,” he said.
“I know I can be one of the best in the world and win major tournaments — if my body lets me. The fire still burns, but it’s not my everything.”
The Australian also revealed he won’t be putting his hand up to represent his country at this year’s upcoming Paris Olympics, citing the treatment he got from the Australian Olympic Committee in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Games as a “disgrace,” and a key factor in the decision.
“I was No. 13 at the time and had a genuine chance at winning a medal. For them to forbid me from representing my country for behavioral reasons is something that I just can’t forget,” he said.
“I won’t be putting my hand up to play in Paris this year. Eight years ago, I was desperate to represent Australia at an Olympic Games, but my mentality has changed. I wanted to play for my country, I can’t say that I still have that desire.”
Kyrgios’ last competitive tennis match was in June 2023, at an ATP 250 event in Stuttgart, Germany.