Nick Kyrgios delivers brutally honest Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray retirement verdict
In an interview with renowned journalist Louis Theroux, Nick Kyrgios revealed he does not want to be “crawling to the finish line” of his career like Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray.
The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up thinks Murray deserved to retire “a little bit more gracefully” than he did given the Brit’s achievements in the sport.
A 37-year-old Murray retired after this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, while Nadal will step away from tennis at the age of 38 after next month’s Davis Cup Final 8 stage. Both Murray and Nadal were afflicted by various physical issues in the latter stages of their glorious careers.
Kyrgios, who has played just one match since October 2022 due to injury, is set to make his comeback at the 2025 Australian Open.
“The [wrist] injury I had was brutal,” Kyrgios said at the South by Southwest conference in Sydney earlier this month.
“The surgeon said I probably wouldn’t be able to play again. But I said whatever, just try and get me another two to three years of my career.
“It’s been a brutal last couple of years, but just being out there to play in front of a home crowd… I just want to be out there, lighting up the crowd and playing in front of my own country.
“Whether it is good or bad, it will certainly be a lot of fun, for sure. I am looking forward to it. My only motivation to come back and play is to try and win a Grand Slam, and I’ll give it one more shot.”
In a conversation on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Kyrgios explained why he has not returned to action sooner, despite expressing confidence he could still beat half of the players on tour.
“I played a match last year… like I could come back now and beat 50% of players but I don’t want to do that, because my fans deserve a better version of myself than I am now on the court,” the 29-year-old Australian said.
