Kyrgios Opens Up on Tennis Regrets: "I never took myself seriously"

| by Alex Waite

Nick Kyrgios explained that the dream of becoming an elite-level tennis player and defeating the 'Big Three' never seemed like a possibility when he was younger.

However, now the Australian feels he could have been more professional on the ATP Tour. In 2023, Kyrgios endured one of his toughest seasons in professional tennis as the 28-year-old has largely been absent due to ongoing injuries.

As a result, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist has not played at any of this year's Grand Slams and only lost his only competitive match of the campaign. In recent weeks, Kyrgios has caused controversy by focussing on other ventures outside of tennis, such as starting an OnlyFans profile.

But, he has also been reflective on his achievements in professional tennis and opened up about some career highlights on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast recently, which he never believed would become a reality.

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"Look, tennis was, it was such an interesting journey. You know, I never thought I was 17, 18, still in school and people were telling me, you could really do something. I never took myself seriously enough to one day be on the [ATP] Tour, beating people like Djokovic, Nadal & Federer. It was just never in my mind. And then all of a sudden it just happened. And my life changed."

However, Kyrgios also explained that he never feels like his top-level tennis career is real. The 28-year-old has famously struggled with his mental health, which he has been honest about in recent years.

In particular, the former world number 20 said that he feels a sense of impostor syndrome for becoming a global tennis star. But he also struggles with some of the day to day demands of fame too.

"It's like I have big imposter syndrome. Like I'm sitting here. I watch you, my bed in my house in Canberra. I'm watching you. And then now all of a sudden I'm here having a conversation. Like that's just, for me, it's crazy,"

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