Nick Kyrgios hints at retirement after Australian Open loss

Nick Kyrgios has hinted towards retirement following a first-round exit of the Australian Open, saying he is unlikely to ever play singles at the Melbourne Park again.

The much-hyped return of Kyrgios to Grand Slam tennis ended in an anti-climactic straight-sets loss to world No.92 Jacob Fearnley on Monday night in Melbourne, 7-6(3), 6-3, 7-6(2).

Kyrgios was uncompetitive for large swaths of the two-hour, 19-minute match, carrying an abdominal injury that had led to him withdrawing from a pre-tournament exhibition late last week.

Speaking to the media following his loss, the mercurial Australian was not optimistic about his future in the game.

“I mean, realistically I can’t really see myself probably playing singles again here,” he said.

“When you’re competing for the biggest tournaments in the world and you’re struggling to win sets physically, it’s pretty tough.

“It’s just not enjoyable for me. It’s not enjoyable for me to go out there and not think tactically, enjoying the atmosphere, where am I going to hit the ball.

“It’s like what am I doing to manage my body, this is painful, I can’t do this because this hurts.

“That’s not tennis to me. That’s not sport.

“I’m happy to play through a bit of discomfort.

“When it gets to a point of… I’m one of the biggest servers on tour and I’m getting out-served tonight.

“My average serve speed was beneath 200.

“I mean, Nick Kyrgios without his serve is probably not – I’m not a threat to many players.

“But I’ve still got a long year ahead. I’m trusting the process that I can still be able to do some cool things this year at some stage.”

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Pre-tournament, tennis bookmakers were optimistic about Kyrgios’ title chances, with Bet365 paying as short as $26 at one stage – the seventh line of betting.

However, losses at the Brisbane International and his lingering injury cloud caused top betting apps to lengthen his odds, with most paying more than $100 for him to win the Australian Open by the time he took to the court.

Despite his comments, Kyrgios did confirm that he will still play doubles alongside fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis later this week.

“Me and Thanasi, I think we owe it to each other to go out there and play,” he said.

“Obviously I know that he’s a physical wreck most of the time, but he somehow pushes through.

“Props to him for getting through his match today.

“Yeah, but I guess we will play doubles.”

Kokkinakis himself has been navigating injury concerns but battled past Roman Safiullin in four hours and five minutes on Monday night to book his place in the second round.

The two won the Australian Open doubles title together in 2022 and are $1.50 favourites at top sports bookmakers to get past James Duckworth and Aleksandar Vukic in their opening match on Wednesday.

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