‘Heartbreaking’: Clear sign Nick Kyrgios knew this was it

Nick Kyrgios’ likely final act as a singles draw player at the Australian Open was to give a kiss we all should have seen coming.

Nick Kyrgios knew this was it before even walking onto John Cain Arena on Monday night.

The Australian has revealed his “heartbreak” after he was outclassed by Brit Jacob Fearnley 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the first round of the Australian Open.

The 29-year-old dropped a retirement bomb on Monday night in his post-match press conference where he said he can’t see himself playing men’s singles at the Australian Open again.

There were clear signs before he even walked out on court with the former teenage prodigy admitting after the match he wanted to soak in the crowd atmosphere knowing the end is near.

It’s why there were no sign of his trademark headphones as he walked out onto court at Melbourne Park for the first time in three years.

The former Wimbledon finalist pulled out of a charity event on the eve of the Open, citing a Grade 1 abdominal strain. It was obvious from the start he was far from full fitness.

There was no snap or full extension in his normally venomous service action — and he was eaten alive by the bullet returns Fearnley kept firing back at his shoe laces.

Wincing and grabbing his guts while battling the abdominal injury throughout the match, Kyrgios did not throw in the towel. He said it was because he wanted to give his army of manic supporters one final show.

Nick Kyrgios left with a kiss. Photo: YouTube, Australian open and STAN sport.

“It was an amazing. I just want to start with the atmosphere. It’s incredible to be back,” he said at the start of his press conference.

“I knew tonight was going to be tough. With my physical state going into the match, I knew that I was going to be really hindered with my serve. But just seeing the fans line up for four, five hours, just the amount of people that were there supporting me, it was hard to kind of throw the towel in.

“It would have been really easy to kind of just roll over. I tried to do the best I could with the state I was in physically. Obviously heartbreaking because, yeah, I obviously wanted to play well. I feel like my level’s there.”

He said the “nuts” atmosphere convinced him not to retire in the middle of the match.

“Realistically, I can’t see myself playing a singles match here again,” he said.

“It was special. Like taking that in, it was pretty good. It was good.

“I knew that I have doubles, so I kind of was taking everything in tonight in those moments.

“It was, yeah, nuts. Yeah, that’s what I mean. 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.”

Australia's Nick Kyrgios arrives on court. Photo by WILLIAM WEST / AFP.

The roaring crowd did not let him down, with the chair umpire having to ask for quiet multiple times during the match.

“Honestly, the reason I kept playing was because of the fans,” he said.

“I don’t know how many times I’m going to be back here again. That’s why I didn’t have headphones on.

“I wasn’t listening to music. I walked out there today, wanted to hear the crowd. There were some special moments.”

He went on to say: “I really enjoyed the way the crowd gave me energy. I wanted to give them two-and-a-half hours of tennis rather than a retirement. That’s s***.”

He said the fans motivated him to keep pushing through the match. Picture: William West / AFP

After entering the arena with two-handed waves to the fired-up crowd,

Kyrgios snatched his bags and left the court quickly after shaking hands with the umpire and his opponent.

One final kiss goodbye to the crowd may well be the last thing fans see him do as a singles draw player at his home slam.

The act, that went somewhat overlooked, exposes Kyrgios for what he really is — a showman right to the bitter end.

Kyrgios said he will continue to play the remaining three grand slams this year — and will still play doubles with Thanasi Kokkinakis after the pair triumphed in 2022.

“I’ve still got a long year ahead. I’m trusting the process that I can still be able to do some cool things this year at some stage.” he said.

“I’ll play the Grand Slams. I’ve got my protected ranking. Obviously Wimbledon is a big one for me. I still feel like obviously, if I don’t have an abdominal strain, I feel when I sustained that five days before a Grand Slam, it’s not ideal.

“Hopefully, if my body’s feeling good, I’ll be able to make some noise at Wimbledon.”

It is still a long way back to return to the level that saw him fall two sets short of becoming a Wimbledon champion.

“I’ve put in a lot of work,” he said.

“I think it was, like, I didn’t play a Grand Slam for 800-something days, 859 days or something. I continued to stay motivated through all those days when I was watching everyone else play, I was on the couch like in a cast. I stayed motivated.

“I trained. I was in the gym. I’m in good shape. All the niggles I guess, my body compensating with the wrist, it’s tough. Yeah, it’s just not enjoyable for me. It’s not enjoyable for me to go out there and not think tactically, enjoying the atmosphere, where am I going to hit the ball.

He played through an abdominal strain and lost to Britain's Jacob Fearnley in the first round of the tournament on Monday. Picture: William West / AFP

“It’s like what am I doing to manage my body, this is painful, I can’t do this because this hurts. That’s not tennis to me. That’s not sport.

“I’m happy to play through a bit of discomfort. When it gets to a point of — I’m one of the biggest servers on tour and I’m getting outserved tonight. My average serve speed was beneath 200km/h.

“I mean, Nick Kyrgios without his serve is probably not — I’m not a threat to many players.”

If this really is the end for Kyrgios on home soil, at least the brash ball-striker can say one thing — he did it his way.

“No regrets. I’ve had an amazing — my journey is not over, but I’ve had an amazing journey.

“My career’s been amazing. I don’t have any regrets. I think everything has been a learning curve for me.

“I continue to try and have fun, just be real, and enjoy the ride. But I think it would be selfish for me to say that I want more, I want more.

“I’ve had a lot of success. More than most athletes would have. No, I don’t have any regrets.”

After the doubles’ draw, Kyrgios will end his Davis Cup exile when Australia faces Sweden in a Davis Cup qualification tie in Stockholm, beginning January 31.

What happens after that is anyone’s guess.

Originally published as ‘Heartbreaking’: Clear sign Nick Kyrgios knew this was it