A devastated Nick Kyrgios admitted on Tuesday night that this could be the last time he would play singles at the Australian Open.
The injury-plagued star said he had struggled not to throw in the towel during his loss to British star Jacob Fearnley as his abdominal tension took its toll during the match.
Questions have been raised over his fitness ahead of the Australian Open, with Kyrgios previously admitting it would be a “miracle” if he could return to the Slam.
But he made a big statement after the match: “Realistically, I don’t see myself playing singles here again.”
‘So… It was special. I have assimilated it. It was pretty good. I mean, yeah, I knew I had doubles and I was taking it all in tonight at the time.’
Kyrgios added that he was “physically hurt” but that he was not going to disappoint the fans “who had waited hours” to throw in the towel.
“I knew tonight was going to be tough,” he said.
‘With my fitness, I knew I was going to be really hampered with my serve. But just seeing the fans lined up for four or five hours and the amount of people supporting me, it was hard to throw in the towel.
“It would have been very easy to turn around, but I tried to do the best I could with the state I was in physically.
‘Obviously, it was heartbreaking. “I wanted to play well and the timing of the abdominal tension is not appropriate, but it is what it is.”
More to follow…