Nick Kyrgios near retirement but planning Australian Open farewell

Nick Kyrgios admits his playing career is nearing its conclusion on the tennis court.

The Aussie, who peaked at No. 13 in the ATP rankings in 2016, was forced to withdraw from this month's Ultimate Tennis Showdown event in Hong Kong due to a lingering knee injury. He made the most of already being on the scene by appearing on the broadcast as a commentator and serving as a coach for the first time in his career to French competitor Richard Gasquet.

"I do know that I'm getting to the end of my tennis career now, especially with all these injuries," Kyrgios said in a recent episode of "Unscripted." "I can't do another surgery where you're out for another six to nine months."

Since making his first career Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 2022 and following that up months later with a quarterfinal appearance at that year's U.S. Open, Kyrgios has appeared in just one of the 12 majors over the last three years.

Ankle, foot and wrist injuries limited Kyrgios, who has won seven ATP titles and was a doubles champion at the 2022 Australian Open alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis, to one total ATP match over the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

He returned to Grand Slam competition in January at this year's Australian Open, but sustained a first-round defeat. After competing in five matches this year, Kyrgios has been sidelined since March due to his knee injury.

He intends to compete in a pair of December exhibitions -- The Garden Cup at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 8 and a "Battle of the Sexes"-style contest vs. top-ranked WTA star Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai on Dec. 28.

While he's still a little unsure how it will happen, Kyrgios made it clear he intends to make one final appearance at his local major in some capacity.

"Yeah, I'll probably play the Aussie Open in some way," Kyrgios said. "I'm not too sure what events I'll play, but I definitely will say goodbye at the Aussie Open at least one more time."