Former World No. 1 Andre Agassi has been impressed by Nick Kyrgios' transparency in dealing with setbacks and believes he still has much to offer to tennis.
Kyrgios, who turns 29 in April, has been very frank in discussing his own personal battles with depression in the past and was enveloped by suicidal thoughts while playing a tournament in Acapulco a few seasons ago. The Australian's love-hate relationship with the sport is also well documented.
Having spent the past year and a half dealing with knee and wrist injuries, Kyrigios has admitted that he has grown increasingly "exhausted," as he approaches 30, he feels like walking away from the sport he grew up playing from a very young age.
In one interview, Kyrgios candidly stated he couldn't see him playing into his 30s. However, he later retracted his statement and assured his fans he is still working on fitness to return to competitive shape. After pulling us from the 2024 Australian Open, Kyrgios has found love in commentating.
He hasn't given a timetable for his return date to the tour, but it is reported that he intends to play the grass-court swing in June. Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam singles champion, can see some similarities between himself and Nick Kyrgios.
The American was at the top of the mountain in 1995 but saw his ranking plummet to World No. 141 in a couple of years. He confessed to falling out of love with the sport and explained that he had to "rebuild on so many levels" to return to where he belonged.
Speaking to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, the 53-year-old asserted that Kyrgios remains a talented player, and what he can do with a racket remains undoubted before sharing his own turbulent periods that Kyrgios is currently going through.
"What I think he can still do with his game from a talent perspective, I think that’s pretty clear. When I was at my lowest after I was No.1 in the world, I felt like I had to rebuild on so many levels when I kind of got disconnected from the game for a good year, year and a half."
Agassi then advised the Australian star while admiring his resilience and honesty. Kyrgios has been synonymous with making thought-provoking statements that draw the ire of tennis fans and pundits. Agassi, however, believes he is "authentic" and "real."
"If I [got to] spend time with him [Kyrgios] … for me the most important thing is to understand who somebody is, where somebody’s at, and meeting him where that is."
"When I listen to Nick speak, I see somebody who at least has acknowledged the honesty and what he’s feeling. And I think you always get that from him. We all wish we could handle ourselves, maybe with more discipline at times in our life. But at the same time, you have to sort of say it’s nice when something is authentic and real."
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