Nick Kyrgios dropped a bombshell after his round one exit, showing that he does care about the game

Something has changed in Nick Kyrgios. After years preferring his extracurricular activities to tennis, he cares. But as SCOTT GULLAN writes, it’s a case of too little, too late.

WHAT stood out from Nick Kyrgios’ not totally unexpected early exit from the Australian Open wasn’t anything which happened on John Cain Arena.

It came an hour later when he was addressing the assembled media, a forum he has used previously to throw up all sorts of crazy things.

But this time there was something different. This time it was obvious he cared.

The petulant ‘I’m too cool for school” attitude where tennis was just a job and that he’d rather play basketball and video games seemed like a distant memory.

Kyrgios was hurting and it wasn’t the abdominal strain which had caused him grief all night against unheralded Scotsman Jacob Fearnley which saw him operate, by his estimation, at below 70 per cent.

Nick Kyrgios dropped a retirement bombshell after his round one loss. Picture: Michael Klein

When you’ve been away from the game for two years, you can’t turn up at a major and try and wing it when you’re not at full capacity, no matter how freakishly talented you are.

Kyrgios started the press conference with the bombshell which would have had Australian Open organisers, who were already mourning the loss of one of their biggest drawcards, looking for a dark corner to hide in.

The 29-year-old declared in his opinion his body wouldn’t be able to allow him to play singles at Melbourne Park in 12 months time.

It was a big call - and he’s prone to many - but it gave an insight into the frustration he was feeling about what had happened against Fearnley and in the week leading up to the tournament.

While many had questioned his work ethic over the journey, Kyrgios had clearly done the hard yards after his wrist operation which is the reason he hadn’t been seen in a singles match since the 2022 US Open quarter-finals.

“My wrist surgery was 16 months ago, so I’ve put in a lot of work. I think it was, like, I didn’t play a grand slam for 800-something days, 859 days or something,” he said.

“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. It’s just not enjoyable for me. It’s not enjoyable for me to go out there and not think tactically, enjoying the atmosphere or where am I going to hit the ball?

“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.”

The injury took away his greatest weapon, the serve against Fearnley and as the man himself said: “Nick Kyrgios without his serve is probably not a threat to many players.”

At 29, Kyrgios knows the clock is ticking which is why he was desperate to make a statement in 2025, starting with the Australian Open but the abdominal injury five days out from the tournament threw those plans out.

Clearly he thinks his body is going to continue to play games with him hence the bombshell prediction about potential singles retirement.

Making himself available for the Davis Cup in the doubles was another sign that he was looking to tick off as many boxes as possible before his days are numbered.

There is a hope among the Australian tennis fraternity that there may be an attitude change if his body gives him a clean run at Wimbledon this year where he knows - as does his opponents - that he can do something special.

“That was reality last night, he was never going to have a great tournament,” Ch 9 commentator and former doubles champion Todd Woodbridge said.

“He now has to keep playing. We want him to keep playing, build some stamina, some matches so that he can get to Wimbledon where he is a contender and be fit, healthy and can back up.”

Will we see the Special Ks recreate their AO22 moment? Picture: Aaron FRANCIS / AFP

Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt is looking forward to Kyrgios playing doubles in the qualifying tie in Stockholm, Sweden, on January 31.

“It’s great to have him back in the team and this is only the start of his comeback,” Hewitt said.

Kyrgios says he owes it to the fans to step out with Thanasis Kokkinakis in the doubles, which start on Wednesday, with the pair trying to emulate their victory at the Australian Open in 2022.

That will ensure he remains in the spotlight for the week, there will probably be a commentary stint and no doubt another social media sledge on defending champion Jannik Sinner.

He can’t help that, it’s his MO but while that will annoy some what shouldn’t be lost is that Kyrgios is hurting for the right reasons . . . because he finally cares.

Originally published as Nick Kyrgios dropped a bombshell after his round one exit, showing that he does care about the game