Just a few days ago Nick Kyrgios It completely shocked the tennis world. Well, that ‘surprising’ thing may be an exaggeration, since we have rarely seen the Australian express his discomfort for many things that surround the tennis calendar. However, not on so many occasions have we read him express himself in such a clear and emphatic way in relation to a possible withdrawal. The one from Canberra made it clear that, in case of winning a Grand Slam, I would hang up the racket. The phrase came in a fun context, in the middle of the World Tennis League (and we already know how much fun Nick has in team competitions), but when reflecting on these comments, far from retracting, Kyrgios stressed that the possibilities of this scenario occurring are quite broad.
“Sincerely, most likely I would retire“Nick stated in an interview with Eurosport, before going into detail and providing clear reasons why he feels this way. “Especially due to the fact that I come from Australia and in tennis there is a lot of traveling, you spend a lot of time away from your family and away from your friends. You are missing out on a lot of great moments with your family, you are really far from having a normal life.“, Nick specifies. It is an argument that many oceanic players have used over time and is part of a logical argument: only one month of competition takes place close to home, which forces them to show much higher levels of sacrifice than possibly any player from another continent.
“There is no other tennis player who is not from Australia who can understand this. Losing or winning a tournament is easy for a European or an American, since then you take a five-hour flight back and you are at home. There you can to spend a week before the next event. In the meantime, as an Aussie, you’re doing anywhere from four to seven months of travel blocks. Sincerely, I don’t think this is healthy. There is no other athlete in the world who does this, in no other sport, the fact of having to be away by yourself for seven months. People ask me why I complain about that and other things… it’s not what they think. You’re living your life through a suitcase, in hotels, it is not that you are on vacation. You have to go to the slopes, train; It is a lifestyle that requires a lot of energy. Yes, I’m honest, if I won a Grand Slam I would probably retire.”
Despite all this, the 2022 season has left great moments on Nick’s resume. The one from Canberra won a Grand Slam with his friend Thanasi Kokkinakisin addition to reaching the final of Wimbledon. Despite all this, sacrifice and continuous wear and tear continued to be part of his life. “It’s all easier in the sense that clearly winning makes everything easier. However, I am exhausted. It’s all very stressful. The more you win, the more demands you have off the track. People expect more from you. It’s been a stressful year, that’s for sure. I’ve handled things a lot better, mind you. There have also been funny things”says the Australian, who also surprisingly confessed that he is trying to prepare for a couple of “exhausting” weeks.
“I try to internalize it and think that it is just another tournament (In reference to Open the Australia). It is clear that it is much more than that for many people around me. I have around three weeks for my body to be ready, for me to feel that my tennis is in tune. Honestly, I’m more looking forward to all this ending than starting. In a way I want it to end, because I know how stressful it is for me to be in the spotlight. Even my days off are exhausting. I’ll probably play doubles. There’s some excitement, but I’d say 95% there is stress and 5% emotionIf I’m honest”.
THE NETFLIX DOCU-SERIES, A “SUCCESS”
Nor did Nick fall short when it came to praising the new production of Netflixwhere the Australian will appear as one of the great protagonists. “I think It’s perfect for tennis, just what I needed. There’s a whole other part about this sport that people don’t understand, especially the personalities. Tennis is one of the few sports where there are players who come from all over the world, all with different backgrounds. I don’t think people realize how stressful it is behind the scenes. For example, during the US Open I would go to sleep around 4AM many nights, all after playing four-hour matches, going through the press, doing physical treatments, and eating very little before bed. It will reflect our entire journey, also together with your team. I think it will show some very interesting things.”
