Nick Kyrgios is dropping another retirement hint, this time revealing that he has been openly telling his team that he is not sure how much time he has left in tennis and also indicating that he may not be able to play his Miami second-round match against Karen Khachanov.
On Wednesday, the former world No. 13 registered his first win since the 2022 US Open after overcoming Mackenzie McDonald 3-6 6-3 6-4 in the Miami Masters first round. While the Australian was thrilled to finish on the winning side once again, he also noted that he still felt his wrist.
Before coming to Miami, Kyrgios struggled with wrist pain in his Brisbane and Australian Open first-round losses and he also retired due to the same issue in the Indian Wells first round.
Kyrgios: It’s never pain-free, I’ll see how my wrist looks tomorrow
“I’ve had conversations with my camp and my team, guys who are leaving their families to be here with me. I was like, ‘Look, I don’t know how long I can keep doing this for.’ This puts a bit more petrol in the tank. But I’ve got to be realistic. I’ll see how my wrist pulls up tomorrow. It is a grind out here,” the 29-year-old said following his win over McDonald.
After getting bounced by Jacob Fearnley in straight sets in his opener at Melbourne Park, Kyrgios didn’t hide that he was in some major discomfort throughout the match but retiring in front of his home fans wasn’t an option. However, he also came to one realization – playing in such a physical condition “was not enjoyable” to him and indicated that was his last Australian Open run.
“Realistically, I probably can’t see myself playing a singles match here again,” the seven-time ATP winner said after bowing out of the Australian Open singles event with a straight-set loss.
Tennis World USA