Australian Open 2021: Nick Kyrgios doesn’t know when he will be back on the tour full time

Nick Kyrgios has endured some tough marathons this week and insists he is nothing but proud of himself. But amid lockdown and the ongoing pandemic he's cast doubt over his future.

Nick Kyrgios.

Nick Kyrgios’ next move post-Australian Open remains unclear, with the tennis star insisting he hasn’t even looked at which tournaments are coming up.

The 25-year-old Canberran’s Open campaign ended in a five-set defeat to third-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem on Friday night, after he won the opening two sets.

Kyrgios chose not to travel once the tour resumed in August last year from the COVID-19-enforced break, remaining home while the French and US Opens went ahead.

He will play doubles with close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis on Saturday, but he’s still to decide how much he will play this year, with the coronavirus still not under control.

Nick Kyrgios was pumped from the first ball.

“I don't know, man. I can change like the wind. I'm not too sure, depending on what happens with COVID in Australia,” Kyrgios said.

“I'm assuming we will probably settle it pretty quickly, but I don't know how I'll have to quarantine overseas in tournaments.

“For me, personally, I'm used to playing in front of packed stadiums. I'm not gonna force myself around the world when the time is not right where I have to quarantine for a week and then play.”

Kyrgios said again that he hadn’t missed the sport during his 11 months away, even though he relished playing in contests such as those against Thiem and Ugo Humbert in recent nights.

“I'm not going to force myself to go to these places and quarantine for a week and then play with no crowd,” he said.

“That's just not me. I just don't think it's right.”

Quizzed on whether the English grass-court season would be a logical spot for him to resume, given his pedigree on the surface, Kyrgios was non-committal.

Nick Kyrgios is unsure when he will play again. Picture: Getty Images

“I don't even know what tournaments there are after this. I have paid no attention to what I'm playing afterwards, really,” he said.

“I'll look at it when it comes around. I'm not going to even think about anything at the moment, especially just coming off the court.

“The last thing I'm going to do is think about where I'm gonna play next. I'm gonna enjoy the next week just living, just enjoying time.

“We're in lockdown after tonight, so I'm not thinking about it. As I said, I don't particularly care, either. When I play, I'll play. When I'm ready to play, I'll play.”

Earlier this tournament Kyrgios opened up about the pressure he feels and the fear he has been under from constant scrutiny.

After walking off court, he was adamant he would not be consumed by anything but positivity.

"I absolutely left it all out there. I'm not taking any shame in losing to five sets to the Australian Open finalist and the US Open champion," he said.

"No, I know I've got a great support team around me. My best friend is there after I lose a match saying, Good job. My girlfriend flew in to watch me play. I'm extremely lucky.

"You know, I'm not upset at all. I'm actually not disappointed that I lost. I'm not upset. I'm gonna come with my head held high tomorrow, play some doubles.

"If I can continue to perform like that, I'm sure that the results will follow."

Originally published as Australian Open 2021: Nick Kyrgios doesn’t know when he will be back on the tour full time