Nick Kyrgios Plans To 'Take A Lot Of Painkillers' To Play In Possibly 'Last' Australian Open
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Nick Kyrgios seemingly plans to do everything possible to be able to compete at the 2025 Australian Open.
The "Happy Slam," as the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne is often called, is undoubtedly Kyrgios' favorite major. It's not a surprise, as he's a fan favorite, and also a person who enjoys being close to his home.
In the past two seasons, however, Kyrgios missed every Grand Slam tournament played, including the Australian Open. This year, it seemed that he could return to the first major of the season, which starts on January 12th, but an injury setback halted the optimism.
Kyrgios withdrew from an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic, which wasn't good news for his fans. At the same time, tournament director Craig Tiley insisted that Kyrgios would play at this Australian Open this year.
After the draw for the tournament was made, the Australian player talked to the media, saying that he was nearing 100% fitness to compete. At the same time, he also revealed that he's determined to play, even if he has to take painkillers to make it possible.
What wasn't so positive was the fact that Kyrgios said that this could be his last Australian Open participation. The Australian is 29, and that would mean a very early retirement.
"I’m nearing 100 per cent to play. I can take a lot of painkillers and try to tough it out. It could be my last Australian Open and I don’t know how long I’ll be coming to this amazing event. It’s one of the best events we have here. I’m not going to take it for granted, I’ll do absolutely everything I can to get out there, there’s still three days to go."
"If it’s not one thing it’s another. I’ve done everything I possibly can to come back from a wrist reconstruction. It grabbed in practice so the next couple of days will be pretty light."
To further detail his current condition, Kyrgios said that he didn't serve as part of his practice yet. He wants to follow the advice from physios and doctors to maximize the chances of playing at his favorite Grand Slam tournament.
"I didn’t serve today, rolled a couple of shots over, I’ll do whatever the physios and doctors say and do whatever I can to get out there."
Kyrgios then also talked about his first-round opponent. He will take on Jacob Fearnley, who is a talented British player, which he managed to prove at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.
In the second round of the tournament, Fearnley played against Novak Djokovic, and he was able to win a set against the 24-time major winner before losing the match 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 5-7. Kyrgios is aware of his opponent's qualities.
"He took Novak (Djokovic) to four sets at Wimbledon so he’s definitely dangerous and I’ve got a big target on my back."
