Nick Kyrgios adds fuel to tennis retirement rumours, slams Australians over ‘respect’ disparity

Nick Kyrgios has called out Australians over their lack of respect for him, and other athletes - saying he’s more loved in the US than he is at home, days after pulling out of the Australian Open.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Nick Kyrgios of Australia arrives for his match with Karen Khachanov during their Men’s Singles Quarterfinal match on Day Nine of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 06, 2022 in the Flushing neighbourhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Julian Finney/Getty Images/AFP

As speculation mounts that Nick Kyrgios may never play another professional match, the tennis star has only added to the intrigue by stating that he’d like to play for two more years, but also that he no longer wants to play.

The enigmatic Australian has had knee and wrist surgeries, and pulled out of January’s Australian Open last week while at the same time announcing he was joining OnlyFans as a content creator.

Some within tennis circles believe that while Kyrgios will attempt a comeback, his injury history and lack of love for the sport will ultimately see a premature end to his professional career.

“If it was up to me, I don’t really want to play anymore to be honest,” Kyrgios told the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast released on Tuesday.

“I have to, almost. I’ve got so much more to give, but for me, I don’t feel like playing anymore.

“I’m exhausted, I’m tired. I have had three surgeries now that, I’m only 28 years old, I always wanted to have a family and not be in pain. When I get up, I can’t walk without pain.

“It’s a tough gig.”

Kyrgios did add later: “I only want to play for about another one to two years and be at the top and go down my own terms.

“Like I would hate to have another surgery or anything like that. So I think I’ve still got the ability to have a good one to two years and then that’s it.

“I think I’ll be at peace with everything I’ve achieved. I’m going to have to just say to everyone out there who wants me to play more, ‘You’re just going to have to be OK with me not playing anymore’.”

Nick Kyrgios on the practice courts at Wimbledon last year. Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

In a separate interview with The Athletic in the United States, Kyrgios said he left Australia this year to focus on his rehabilitation because he gets more respect from Americans.

“I feel more respected here,” Kyrgios said. “(Australians) don’t expect athletes to do anything else but play their sport, which is really weird.

“I definitely see myself coming back at some stage and playing at a high level again. But because of how intense last year was for me, this was a year to just balance it out.”

Kyrgios also referenced his contemplation of suicide on a Mexican balcony in 2019 in the Shetty podcast.

“I was so sad and so depressed, I literally wanted to end my life. And now I’m here, and I’m enjoying it. It’s all a bonus,” Kyrgios said.

“I’m not a big planner anymore, because anything can be taken away from you.

Kyrgios says he has up to two years left in tennis. Picture: Marco Bertorello/AFP

“There was a tournament in Mexico, Acapulco, where I was thinking about, I was having suicidal thoughts and, you know, I was just on the balcony of my hotel and I was genuinely thinking about it.

“And my team was like we’ve got to play in 10 minutes.”

Kyrgios added: “I was drinking every night, just at the time I thought it was just fun, but it wasn’t fun. It was just self-inflicted pain. And I had friends around me telling me it wasn’t healthy, and I ignored them.

“I found myself at a psychiatric ward in London, and I was playing [Rafael] Nadal the next day. It’s like, I looked at myself. I was like, I can’t do this. I have to somehow change these habits. So I had self-harm everywhere. I had to wear an arm sleeve on the centre court of Wimbledon and no one knew any of these problems. And it was, it was hard. And I look back and I just don’t know how I got out of it to be honest, I was such a mess.”

Kyrgios said he has not missed tennis during his time away from the sport. Picture: Elsa/Getty Images

Kyrgios said he has not missed playing tennis – he played just one match this year, a straight sets loss to Wu Yibing in June.

“When I step away from the court for so long, I actually don’t miss it, so that’s scary for me,” Kyrgios said.

“Most athletes, they get pulled away from their sport – injury or take time off – they’re really hungry to get back. With me it’s like, I’ve always known life has so many cool things about it and tennis, you’re travelling seven, eight months of the year, I barely see my family, my friends.

“And during this time, I get to spend time with my partner more, my family, do all these things I’ve been missing out on, wow, my life is amazing now.

“But I do miss playing tennis a bit. It’s all I’ve ever known since I was seven years old.

“There was a Make-A-Wish kid that I met up with a week and a half ago, he’s probably got six months to live, and then I realised that those types of people that look up to me and really want me to succeed, that’s who I started playing for … the future generation.

“That’s the reason why I probably would have retired and probably stopped playing a couple of years ago if I just kept playing on how I was feeling. But then I realised I’ve got a whole contingent of fans on why they want to see me succeed.”