Nick Kyrgios Reflects on Missed Grand Slam Opportunity in 2022

In a recent episode of his podcast ‘Good Trouble’, Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios opened up about his regret at not winning the Wimbledon title in 2022.

Chatting with renowned coach and UTS founder Patrick Mouratoglou, the conversation turned to how a few pivotal points can completely shift the narrative of a tennis match. Mouratoglou shared how just two key points can be the difference between being hailed as incredible and disciplined, or written off as unfit and unmotivated.

Building on this, Kyrgios revealed his deep disappointment at how things unfolded at Wimbledon last year. The Australian had made a career-best run to the final, producing some brilliant tennis along the way. He had defeated 5th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and world #43 Cristian Garin, before receiving a walkover against Rafael Nadal.

In the final, Kyrgios faced world #1 Novak Djokovic. He took a set from the Serbian and pushed him to a tiebreak in another, eventually losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3). Reflecting on that match, Kyrgios asked Mouratoglou, “Do you think if I had won that, the whole narrative would have changed?”

Mouratoglou responded emphatically, “For sure, you would be a Grand Slam winner. No one would say you are wasting your talent. And we’re just talking about one match.”

Kyrgios acknowledged, “I knew that everything would change. That’s crazy, because you know, I was only a set and a half away from winning, and becoming tennis immortality. You win a Grand Slam, no-one cares about what you do any more.”

With a sigh, he admitted, “I would have loved to have been sitting here as a Grand Slam champion.”