Nick Kyrgios Hints At Retirement After Devastating Australian Open Loss
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Fans who watched Nick Kyrgios compete on Monday at the Australian Open might cherish the memory even more after he admitted it would probably be his last singles appearance in Melbourne.
Kyrgios had not competed at his home Grand Slam since he and Thanasi Kokkinakis won the men's doubles title in 2022. The 29-year-old exited to the eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev in the singles.
After an impressive 2022 season, which included reaching the Wimbledon final, it seemed like Kyrgios was ready to reach his potential after years of fans wondering if he could live up to the high expectations placed on him as a young player.
Unfortunately for Kyrgios, he only played one ATP tournament in 2023 and 2024 because of severe wrist and knee injuries. His sole appearance was a failed comeback attempt at the Stuttgart Open in June 2023.
After undergoing a wrist reconstruction, Kyrgios announced he would return at the start of the 2025 season. The surgeon told him he had only a 15% chance of playing professional tennis again after the procedure, so returning to the court at all was already a significant achievement.
However, Kyrgios had high expectations for his comeback. The controversial Australian admitted he wanted to win a singles Grand Slam before retiring from the sport to silence his critics once and for all.
Kyrgios also said he wanted to face Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open after repeatedly criticizing him since his doping case became public. The Wimbledon runner-up promised to show him no respect if they faced each other.
His first tournament of the season at the Brisbane International was a mixed bag. Kyrgios competed in the doubles alongside Novak Djokovic. Despite losing in the second round, the pair entertained the crowd in both matches.
The huge-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard beat Kyrgios in a deciding set tiebreak in the opening round of the singles. Although Kyrgios competed impressively, he admitted that his problematic wrist was in much pain afterward.
That was followed by the home favorite sustaining an abdominal strain a few days before the Australian Open began. Kyrgios was visibly struggling with that problem during a straight-sets loss in Melbourne to Jacob Fearnley.
In a press conference after the defeat, a clearly emotional Kyrgios revealed that he did not expect to compete in the singles again at the Australian Open. The reality of his physical issues has become clear to him.
"Yeah, I mean, realistically, I can't really see myself probably playing singles again here, so. Yeah, it was special. Like taking that in, it was pretty good. It was good, yeah."
Despite his obvious devastation, Kyrgios was grateful to play in front of a crowd at the John Cain Arena that gave him incredible support. He also revealed he would play doubles with Kokkinakis as planned.
"So yeah, I mean, look, I knew that I have doubles, so I kind of was taking everything in tonight in those moments. It was, yeah, nuts. I didn't want to just throw in the towel and walk off or retire."
"I was hurting physically. I respect my opponent. The fans waited hours to come see me play. Yeah, I mean, realistically I can't see myself playing a singles match here again.”
