Tennis star Nick Kyrgios has opened up about the pressures of playing at an elite level and wanting to retire from the sport.
He might have once been labelled the Bad Boy of the tennis world, but in recent years Nick Kyrgios has amassed a loyal following with his penchant for lively games and atmospheres that prove exciting. In a sport that otherwise favours the kind of ambience you’d expect of a fine dining restaurant, Kyrgios has brought the Aussie larrikin spirit to the game and while his antics on the court used to overshadow his athletic prowess, now he’s got the skills to match the talk. Having stunned audiences to reach the Wimbledon final where he unfortunately lost to Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios has continued to prove that he’s one of the best players Australia has ever produced. But as the young star has now revealed, shouldering the pressures of a nation take their toll.
While the future looks promising for Kyrgios, the star revealed that the pressures he’s currently facing are having an impact on his enjoyment and love of the game. Currently ranked 22 in the men’s singles rankings, it’s expected that Kyrgios will nab a spot in the top 10 in the next few months. But already, Kyrgios has hinted at plans of retirement. Speaking between matches in Dubai at the inaugural World Tennis League competition, Kyrgios expressed: “Hopefully I can win a slam and just retire.”
Asked whether he would be happy to perform the same way he did this year, in 2023, Kyrgios replied: “Would I sign again? Honestly, I don’t know about it.”
He added, “It took a lot of hard work this season, a lot of discipline and it seems the better you do, everyone wants a bit more of you and it becomes more stressful. But I had a lot of fun this season. And I’m finally just proud to say I made a slam final and started to meet some expectations.”
For many, Kyrgios is our greatest hope in seeing another Australian triumph on the global stage after the shock retirement of Ash Barty earlier this year, following her win at the Australian Open 2022. Few could have seen Barty’s retirement coming as she seemed to have only just reached her prime, but as the former World Number 1 explained, she had achieved all she wanted to in the sport.
“I know how much work it takes to bring the best out of yourself. I’ve said it to my team multiple times, I don’t have it in me anymore,” said Barty to close friend Casey Dellacqua. “I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level anymore. I just know that I’m spent.”
While Kyrgios will be gearing up to take on the world’s top players at the Australian Open next month, fans can get a glimpse at just what the professional circuit entails in the upcoming Netflix series, Break Point in which Kyrgios is featured. Hailing from the same creative team behind Formula 1: Drive to Survive, the series takes fans behind-the-scenes, giving them a rare insight into the gruelling training routines, sacrifices and emotional toll that playing on tour has on these young athletes.
