Just weeks after opting out of the upcoming Australian Open, Nick Kyrgios opens up about his decision, labeling Australia's athletic expectations as "peculiar."
The Wimbledon finalist, recovering from injuries that limited his play in 2023, discusses his unique perspective on tennis and hints at what the future holds in an exclusive interview with The Athletic.
Despite facing challenges and surgeries this year, Kyrgios shares that he finds equal enjoyment in the off-court aspect, challenging the traditional narrative of tennis identity and athlete struggles.
Just last week Kyrgios announced he would be joining video subscription company OnlyFans to “to disrupt the way sports stars share content”. Last month he was providing analysis for The Tennis Channel, and next year he will be releasing an interview series called Good Trouble on YouTube.
After tennis, Kyrgios says he would like to get involved in television and commentary, but it would be viewed as un-Australian if he started before he called time on his playing career.
“I feel more respected here [US],” Kyrgios said. Australians “don’t expect athletes to do anything else but play their sport, which is really weird. I definitely see myself coming back at some stage and playing at a high level again. But because of how intense last year was for me, this was a year to just balance it out”.
And, he also has some feedback for former players-turned-commentators.
“Sometimes it’s hard to watch these old heads kind of break down the game all the time for new fans,” he said. “It’s like some of the stuff they say doesn’t make sense. Jim Courier is really good, the way he articulates things, but some of these other people, I’m just like, ‘What are you talking about?’. Like, ‘How do you know?’.”
“The game was so slow back then,” he continued. “I’ve watched Boris Becker and I’m not saying they weren’t good in their time, but to say that they would be just as good now, it’s absurd,” he said. “A big serve back then was like 197 to 200 (km/h). People like me, we serve 220 consistently, to corners. It’s a whole different ball game.”
“I’m not saying they wouldn’t have found their way … but serve and volley, to do it all the time now, you need to be serving 220 because if you serve anything less than 220, bro, [Novak] Djokovic eats you alive.”
