News location:

Canberra Today 10°/13° | Tuesday, May 7, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Kyrgios feels like he’s 57 as tennis retirement looms

Injured tennis star Nick Kyrgios says once he retires he’ll never be seen in the game again. (AP PHOTO)

By Roger Vaughan and Ian Chadband in Melbourne

NICK Kyrgios will be gone from tennis for good within five years as he contemplates the end of his tumultuous professional career.

The 28-year-old injured Australian says he feels like he has the body of a 57-year-old because of his partying.

Kyrgios has discussed what comes next this week on a video posted by the Ultimate Tennis Showdown.

“No f***ing chance. No way. Bro, there’s no chance I’m playing until 33,” he said.

“Kyrgios playing until 33 is insane! I’m not playing until 33.

“Nah, I promise you, when I’m gone, you’ll never see me again.”

Kyrgios, who made the Wimbledon final last year, has played only one tournament in 2023 because of injury.

The schedule is out of control. I’m getting old. I’m getting old,” he laughed. “28. Yeah. But all the drinking and partying, I’m like 57.”

On Wednesday, organisers said Kyrgios had pulled out of the US Open tune-up tournament in Washington, again because of injury.

Earlier this month fellow Australian Mark Philippoussis warned Kyrgios’s career could be in jeopardy if he does not throw everything into rehab on his injured knee.

Twenty years since reaching the Wimbledon final, Philippoussis painted a grim scenario for his fellow Australian who followed him as a finalist in 2022 but pulled out on tournament eve this year with a wrist injury following season-long knee trouble.

Philippoussis, who had six surgeries on his knee, knows how difficult it will be for Kyrgios, at 28, to rebound from his January surgery and was alarmed after watching him play his only match since, a tame loss in Stuttgart a month ago.

“He’s not even close to being fit and I knew straight away he was in trouble,” said Philippoussis at Wimbledon.

Asked if he feared for Kyrgios, who’s famously never been one for hard off-court training, Philippoussis added: “He’s got to fear for himself. I’ve become a knee expert after six knee surgeries and it’s something you can’t mess around with. You’re talking about your movement.

Asked if he might be able to help Kyrgios, Philippoussis wasn’t sure any help would be wanted anyway.

“Everyone can want to help someone as much as possible, but if that person is not willing to help themselves, then it’s all pointless,” he shrugged.

“We all know where Nick stands as far as he’s very happy to be very free with the way he plays and not have a coach. And I doubt very much anything is going to change with the fitness side.

“If he’s happy with that, then no problem. The most important thing is for him to be happy in his life, because sport stops at some stage, and it’s about what’s really important – and that’s his life.”

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews