Nick Kyrgios gets brutally honest: 'I played with balls for U10s'

11/12/2024 07:58 AM

Nick Kyrgios is ready to make a comeback in 2025, overcoming a severe wrist injury and hoping to extend his career. Feeling good after years of struggle, Nick can not wait to enter the Australian Open in two months and play in front of the home fans, thanking them for their tremendous support over the years.

Speaking about his problems, Kyrgios explained he had only a 15% chance to recover and play competitive tennis again. He had to start from the beginning and work on his wrist, using fluffy balls for U10 competitors to regain the feeling! Despite brutal physical problems, Nick gave everything to stay strong mentally and endure the efforts. Eager to end a career on his terms, the Aussie overcame difficulties and improved his level, working on his game constantly and hoping for a fresh start in two months. In his recent post, Kyrgios revealed that only a few chapters are left, although tennis fans hope he can change his mind and play for a few more years if he remains injury-free.

Nick is the most prominent player of the 1995 generation, becoming world no. 13 and lifting seven trophies from 11 ATP finals, the most recent one in Washington two years ago. Kyrgios missed the most of 2020, heading home after Acapulco and refusing to travel during the pandemic. Nick fell to Dominic Thiem at the Australian Open three years ago, experiencing a knee injury and staying away until Wimbledon. Kyrgios lost six of the final nine matches, feeling more knee problems and ending the season at the Laver Cup. Nick could not recover by the beginning of 2022, losing a place in the top-100 for the first time since 2014! He fell to Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne after a cracker and increased his level in the upcoming months. Kyrgios notched good results in Indian Wells, Houston, Stuttgart and Halle, heading to Wimbledon with high expectations.

Nick faced world no. 219 Paul Jubb in the first round at the All England Club and prevailed with a late break after a thriller. The Aussie took down Filip Krajinovic and ousted Stefanos Tsitsipas before prevailing over Brandon Nakashima for a place in the last eight. Kyrgios faced a surprising quarter-finalist, Cristian Garin, and beat him in three sets, moving into the final four and dreaming about a Major title. Rafael Nadal gave Nick a withdrawal, propelling him into his first Major final.

The Aussie faced the legend Novak Djokovic in the final and suffered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 defeat in three hours after giving everything. The more experienced player defended five of six break points, dropping the opener but keeping the pressure on the other side after that. Novak delivered his first break against Nick in the second set and added another in the third to open two sets to love advantage. They stayed neck and neck in the fourth set, and Djokovic prevailed in a tie break to seal the deal and lift his seventh Wimbledon title. Novak kept the errors under control and outplayed his rival in the mid-range exchanges.

Nick broke in the fifth game of the opening set and held at 5-4 to claim the opener and move closer to a stunner. Djokovic grabbed a break in the fourth game of the second set and served for the set at 5-3. He denied four break points and landed a service winner on a set point, leveling the overall score after 70 minutes. They stayed neck and neck until 4-4 in the third set. The Aussie sprayed a couple of errors in the ninth game, losing serve and falling two sets to one behind after the Serb's service winner in the next one. The fourth set reached a tie break, and Novak claimed it 7-3 to seal the deal and celebrate the title.

Carried by the Wimbledon boost, Kyrgios beat six rivals in Washington and celebrated his seventh ATP title. The Aussie reached the US Open quarter-final, defeating Daniil Medvedev before falling to Karen Khachanov after an epic battle. Instead of more good results, Nick had to stop in Tokyo, feeling pain in his wrist and ending the season. Kyrgios has played only one match in the previous 25 months, dealing with knee and wrist problems and almost ending his career. The Aussie missed the Australian Open last year and underwent knee surgery. To make things even worse, he tore a ligament in his right wrist in June, playing one match in Stuttgart and staying away from the court since. Kyrgios tested his wrist versus Casper Ruud at the UTS New York event this August and enjoyed his performance, beating the Norwegian 17-8, 21-9, 15-11 and raising his hopes of a comeback. If everything goes right, we should see Nick in action in Australia in two months.

"This is the best I have felt in two years. 2022 was incredible for me, playing in the Wimbledon final. However, I felt issues in my wrist at the US Open and had to reconstruct it. Now I feel amazing. I had only a 15% chance to regain my old level, and I did that. I can not wait to compete in front of the fans again. My physical struggle was brutal, and I had to stay strong mentally. I did not want to give up. I always wanted to end a career on my terms and prevent injuries to dictate that decision. Firstly, I felt no improvements in my wrist. I started with fluffy balls for U10 players, teaching my wrist all over again. In my eyes, I have already won, and everything that comes for me in the future will be a bonus," Nick Kyrgios said.