Nick Kyrgios reveals big goal driving his comeback and stopping retirement thoughts
Nick Kyrgios has revealed that the goal of winning a Grand Slam singles title is driving his tennis comeback amid thoughts of retirement during his injury nightmare.
The 28-year-old Australian star singled out Wimbledon as the tournament he most wants to win and described the grass-court Major as “the pinnacle of tennis.”
Kyrgios was a runner-up at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where he was defeated by seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the final.
The former world No 13 fell 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-7(3) to the legendary Serbian in an entertaining encounter in his only appearance in a Major singles title match.
Following an excellent 2022 season, Kyrgios has been sidelined through injury this year and played his only competitive match of the campaign in Stuttgart in June.
The Australian underwent knee surgery in January and has suffered further setbacks and a wrist injury that derailed his intended comeback during the grass-court season.
In an interview with Wide World of Sports, Kyrgios admitted retirement has crossed his mind but outlined why he is determined to return to action.
“When you’re winning, everything’s brighter. It’s good money, the crowd loves it. I think my type of tennis is something that brings a lot of people together and gets people to have a couple of drinks and enjoy it and give them the entertainment that they want,” explained the Australian.
“I want to just be able to say I won one Grand Slam, singles, before I retire. I think that’s really driving me. I was so close, I was two sets away. I guess that’s what’s driving me.
“Wimbledon’s the biggest tournament in the world – I think tennis fans that don’t know tennis know what Wimbledon is. It’s just got that prestige. It’s like the pinnacle of tennis to me. If you win Wimbledon, no one can kind of say anything to you almost.
“That would be the one that has a little asterisk on it and that’s the one I will put all my focus and diligence into. That’s the one I want to win and I was really close and I said I’ve still got that taste in my mouth of unfinished business. So I’m gonna try my best to get back there.”
Kyrgios had the best season of his career to date in 2022, posting an impressive 37-10 (78.7%) record and winning the ATP 500 tournament in Washington. As well as his Wimbledon final run, the 28-year-old reached quarter-finals at the US Open, Indian Wells and the Canadian Open – and earned six wins over top 10 opponents – last year.
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