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Kyrgios, who had been sidelined for a prolonged amount of time due to injuries and surgery on his wrist, hinted that we might have witnessed him for the final time at his home event in singles.
Nick Kyrgios of Australia spins his racket during his first round match against Jacob Fearnley of Britain at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Nick Kygios’s return to the Australian Open came to a grinding halt in a rather unceremonious fashion as he was ousted in the first round of the first Major of the year by Brit Jacob Fearnley in straight sets on Monday.
The unfancied Fearnley posted a 7-6(3) 6-3 7-6(2) triumph over the Australian maverick at the John Cain Arena.
In the presser following the conclusion of the game, Kyrgios, who had been sidelined for a prolonged amount of time due to injuries and surgery on his wrist, hinted that we might have witnessed him for the final time at his home event in singles.
“I mean, realistically, I can’t really see myself probably playing singles again here,” Kyrgios said.
While it might turn out to be an emotional statement revealed by the 29-year-old in the heat of the moment, Kyrgios has been struggling with injuries in the past year.
“It’s hard. When you’re competing for the biggest tournaments in the world and you’re struggling to win sets physically, it’s pretty tough,” he added.
Kyrgios noted the toll the injuries have taken on his game, particularly on his serve.
“I’m one of the biggest servers on tour and I’m getting out-served tonight,” Kyrgios said.
“I mean, Nick Kyrgios without his serve is probably not — I’m not a threat to many players,” the Aussie added.
Kyrgios revealed that he wanted to take the atmosphere in especially given the doubt he has in mind about being able to return to the courts of AO.
“I don’t know how many times I’m going to be back here again. That’s why I didn’t have headphones on; I wasn’t listening to music. I walked out there today (and) wanted to hear the crowd,” Kyrgios said.
“There were some special moments,” he added.
