The new tennis season is in full swing, with players storming back into the spotlight, ready to chase glory and add more trophies to their shelves. But while many are gearing up to seize new opportunities, not everyone is starting the season on a high note. One player who’s facing a tough reality is Australian star Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios, known for his electrifying talent and fiery personality, has left fans worried with a update about his future.
The Australian tennis sensation made a remarkable return to the courts – after a hiatus of 18 months – at the World Tennis League in December. After his first-round exit at the Stuttgart Open in 2023, he continued to struggle with physical woes. Now, as he looked forward to proving his mettle yet again, his situation seemed to be worrying after his first-round loss to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, 7-6(2), 6(4)-7, 7-6(3).
Kyrgios engaged in an interaction with the press after the defeat and detailed that he is facing some challenges with his wrist yet again. When quizzed about his plans after the Brisbane International, where he is still competing in the doubles category with Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios highlighted that he has nothing specific in mind. “Probably go home to Canberra for a couple of days. I will see my dog. That’s the first thing I want to do. Then I’ll just, yeah, see how my wrist pulls up from the load of this week. First of all, that’s the priority. If it feels good, we start building back up on the tennis courts, start going back to work. Yeah, we go, head to Melbourne, I have a couple of things to do there.” But what caught fans’ attention further was his admission about having no plans related to the sport after the Australian Open.
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“I don’t have any plan after the Australian Open tennis-wise, to be honest. You know, I’m really confident I could play the Australian Open. It’s just depending on how my body is, how much tennis I can play. Yeah, I guess that’s what I will do. Go home for a couple of days and get ready for the Open,” Kyrgios added further in the interview. Now, while it is not clear if Kyrgios will take another break from the sport after the Australian swing, it is safe to say that his injuries are continuously posing a threat to him.
For the unversed, Nick Kyrgios’ challenges began ever since he fell in a match against Grigor Dimitrov at Indian Wells back in 2015 and sprained his wrist. While he remained competitive back then, his niggles continued to intensify over the years. In January 2023, he also underwent knee surgery. However, his wrist continued to bother him. Eventually, he underwent a ‘secret’ surgery in the basement of the Calvary Adelaide Hospital after coming to terms with a hard reality: the procedure could possibly heal him, but it might result in his permanent retirement as well. “This has been a really challenging time – the hardest of my career,” Kyrgios had remarked in an interaction earlier this year, per The Canberra Times. And unfortunately, his challenges seem to persist even now.
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“I felt like I had been hit by a bus yesterday after doubles, to be honest. I was on the treatment table for an hour and a half before bed. But we know that’s how it’s going to be,” the Aussie star revealed about his current scenario adding, “For my wrist, it’s all new ground now.” For now, what remains interesting to be seen is how well Kyrgios responds to these challenges to accomplish his goal for the season. Fans surely know that the fiery player still has some game left in him.
When Nick Kyrgios revealed his “motivation” to return to tennis
Nick Kyrgios might have failed to pick up the rackets for 18 months but he remained close to the sport through his role as a commentator. However, the buzz intensified ever since he announced his comeback to the competitive arena. But what is the biggest goal and, as Kyrgios says, the motivation behind his return to the courts? Well, it’s winning a Grand Slam title.
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Kyrgios engaged in an interaction with News Corp’s Code Sports podcast in October this year and revealed that he would like to shut his doubters. “I am coming back because something is keeping me around the game,” Kyrgios said. “I have beaten pretty much every person that has been put in front of me, made a final of a Grand Slam, won a doubles title in a Grand Slam, won multiple titles and made money.” he added. Elaborating further, he revealed that the only thing that would stop the steady stream of criticism against him would be winning a Grand Slam.
“I think the one thing that is now on my target is a Grand Slam. I think that will be the only thing that will shut people up at the end of the day. That’ll be my deep motivation,” the star player shared. Now, as he continues his journey on the tennis courts, it would be interesting to see how it unfolds. Will Kyrgios be able to hunt down that ever elusive Slam title? Or are his best days behind him?