- Nick Kyrgios will return to tennis in December
- The Australian star has not played for more than a year
- Kyrgios has battled a series of injuries in recent years.
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has revealed what motivates him to return to the tennis court after injuries forced him to spend approximately 14 months on the sidelines.
The 29-year-old also spoke about when he might retire, stating that while he is still “far from done”, he stated that he has “one or two years” left at the top level.
Kyrgios, who has won seven ATP Tour titles during his career, last played in June 2023 at the Stuttgart Open, his only competitive match in almost two years.
The Australian endured a torrid 2023 battling a series of injuries that led to his first withdrawal from the United Cup in January to rest an ankle injury ahead of the Australian Open. He would later withdraw from the Melbourne Grand Slam due to a knee injury that required surgery.
But more problems were to come, as Kyrgios had to withdraw from the French Open due to an injury he suffered during an alleged robbery at his home and then tore a ligament in his wrist, forcing him to withdraw from Wimbledon.
Nick Kyrgios appears to be getting closer to returning to the tennis courts at the end of December.
A series of injuries have sidelined Kyrgios over the past year, with the Australian star playing just one competitive match in the last two years.
During his time off the court, Kyrgios has been immersed in the media and impressed with his ideas at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
After immersing himself in the media world for the past 12 months, a revitalized Kyrgios appears to be preparing to return to the court in December for the World Tennis League, according to Sports Code.
But it looks like he’s back for the Australian star, who gave a positive update on his condition before revealing what’s motivating his return.
“I will come back because something keeps me in the game,” Kyrgios told Sports Code during an interview.
“I’ve beaten almost everyone who came before me, I’ve reached a Grand Slam final, I’ve won a Grand Slam doubles title, I’ve won multiple titles and I’ve made money.
“But I think the only thing I have as a goal now is a Grand Slam. I think that will be the only thing that will silence people at the end of the day. That will be my deep motivation.”
Kyrgios has already tasted Grand Slam glory, winning the Australian Open men’s doubles event in 2022 alongside fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.
That same year he would reach the Wimbledon final but would suffer defeat against Novak Djokovic, the furthest he has advanced in the men’s singles event of a Grand Slam.
The 29-year-old has now claimed that he is using the desire to win a men’s singles Grand Slam to fuel his comeback from injury and “shut up” his detractors.
Kyrgios (right) is yet to win a men’s singles title at a Grand Slam, despite reaching the 2022 Wimbledon final, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic (left).
While he is hungry to end his long wait for a Grand Slam singles title, Kyrgios revealed he may only have a couple of years left at the top level.
‘I’m far from done, to be honest. “I’m in the last stages of my career, but I still have one or two years left… I feel very good,” he told Code Sports.
‘I’m hitting for about three hours every day now. My wrist from surgery has completely healed and I feel motivated.”
Kyrgios also added that he owes a large part of his life to tennis and added that he wants to stop thinking about retirement.
“I don’t want to think about retirement, but at the same time I understand that it’s coming to an end,” Krygios said.
“I don’t think it’s ever going to be easy.”
The 29-year-old also spoke about when he might retire, saying that while he was “far from done,” he said he still had “one or two more years left.”
Kyrgios had previously claimed he would return at next year’s Australian Open, but had previously stated he was “exhausted” by the grind of the ATP Tour.
In his time off the court, Kyrgios impressed as a commentator working with the BBC and Eurosport at Wimbledon and the Australian Open.