Nick Kyrgios has a maximum of six years left of the tour as the talented Australian player has once again vowed to quit the sport before the age of 27.
Kyrgios’ comments come as he enjoys the best season on the tour. This year the 21-year-old has won his first two ATP titles in Marseille and Atlanta. He is also currently at a ranking high of 16th in the world. Regardless of his breakthrough on the tour, Kyrgios has stated during a Twitter Q&A session that he plans to retire from tennis at the age of 27, if not before.
@jacobhold_ probs before that
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 30, 2016
It isn’t the first time that the controversial player has hinted about early retirement from the sport. During an interview with The Sunday Times in May, Kyrgios ruled out the idea of playing tennis at the age of 30 because ‘there are many more things in the world’.
“There is zero chance that Nick Kyrgios will be playing tennis when he is 30 years old. There’s absolutely no chance, I don’t know how long my career will be but God help me if I am playing tennis at 30. There are so many more things to this world than tennis for me. Not tennis for me at 30. Please,” Kyrgios said.
Throughout his career, Kyrgios has always remained admirably upfront about his feelings towards the sport. At the age of 14 he had to choose between tennis and basketball, eventually opting for the racket sport. Reflecting on the decision with The Independent in 2015, Kyrgios recalled being ‘pushed’ into the sport and admitted that he ‘doesn’t love’ tennis.
“I don’t really like the sport of tennis that much. I don’t love it. It was crazy when I was 14. I was all for basketball and I made the decision to play tennis. I got pushed by my parents and to this day I can still say I don’t love the sport,” he told The Independent.
Seeded 14th in this week’s US Open, Kyrgios will begin his campaign against Great Britain’s Aljaz Bedene on Tuesday. Last year he suffered a first round exit after losing to Andy Murray. Kyrgios’ US Open title chances are slim, but not impossible. He is already a two-time grand slam quarter-finalist. If he did triumph in Flushing Meadows, he might follow in the footsteps of Flavia Pennetta.
@skiforhim if I won the US open now u would never see me again
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 30, 2016
It is unclear as to how serious Kyrgios was about this comment. The world will have to wait and see what will happen to the talented and unpredictable 21-year-old.
