Should Nick Kyrgios Retire?

When 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios shocked the world by defeating Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014, many believed that they were witnessing the birth of a superstar. However, things haven’t exactly been plain sailing for the Australian, and 11 years down the line, retirement is already a serious possibility.

After years of injury troubles, it was no great surprise when Kyrgios has pulled out of this year’s US Open. For the third consecutive year, the Australian will not be playi ng in New York, and has now missed 11 of the last 12 Grand Slams.

A Complicated Figure

There is no doubt Kyrgios is one of the most naturally talented players of his generation, but his career has not been without controversy. Indeed, his on-court behaviour has raised more than a few eyebrows over the years. Not many, if any, players have racked up a fines list as costly as Kyrgios, from constant racket smashing to even more constant expletive outbursts, the now 30-year-old has carried the nickname “the bad boy of tennis” for many years.

Despite not regularly playing on tour since 2022, Kyrgios has done his best to remain prevalent in the headlines, mostly for his use of social media. He has taken to X on several occasions to voice his opinions on Jannik Sinner’s doping ban, and to say he hasn’t pulled any punches is an understatement.

Many tennis fans are now fed up with his behaviour, as it seems to be an endless cycle of entering a tournament via his protected ranking, then withdrawing from said tournament before taking to social  media to berate fellow tennis players.

Wasted Talent

What’s most frustrating about how his career has panned out is the lack of success given just how talented Kyrgios is. He has only made it past the quarterfinal stage of a Grand Slam once, where he went on to reach the Wimbledon final in 2022 before losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic.

Not many players can say they have wins over Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, as well as a positive head-to-head record against the 24-time Major champion. Kyrgios reached a career high ranking of world #13, and had the potential to break the top 10.

If the Australian had half of the commitment, mental strength and fight the big three had then we would almost certainly be looking at a Grand Slam champion. Of course, his career has been impacted by injuries, and it wouldn’t be fair not to mention that.

Where many thought Kyrgios might push on and establish himself as one of the world’s best after reaching the Wimbledon final, the opposite happened. Despite reaching the quarterfinal at the US Open later that year, he then struggled with a range of serious injuries, most notably in his wrist.

After almost three years of constant injury troubles, it is looking less and less likely that we will see Kyrgios entertain us on the big stage ever again, for better or for worse.