"I hated tennis; I remember I was crying; It was traumatizing" - Nick Kyrgios on relinquishing "NBA dream" after parents "pushed" him towards tennis

Nick Kyrgios recently spoke about his tennis journey in an interaction with journalist Jemele Hill.

Kyrgios' tennis abilities led him to the junior World No. 1 ranking and also helped him to a junior Grand Slam title at the 2013 Australian Open. The Australian soon turned professional and over the years, built up the reputation of a player with an unorthodox and electric playing style. His progress saw him enter the top 15 in the ATP Tour rankings in 2016 as well.

However, Kyrgios' fiery on-court temperament also made him a controversial figure. He would frequently get drawn into arguments with officials and fellow players, amassing heavy fines and suspensions. On multiple occasions, the Aussie also expressed his disdain for tennis and love for basketball.

The 28-year-old recently sat down with journalist Jemele Hill on his talk show Good Trouble, where he discussed his tennis journey.

"I hated tennis. I grew up very fat, overweight as a kid and my mum saw that and said, "You need to be a bit active." She dragged me down to the tennis courts and got me into tennis. I hated it. I was crying... It was traumatizing to be honest." Nick Kyrgios said (06:00).

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist also revisited his love for basketball.

"I loved basketball. I loved the culture. I used to sit there watching VCR tapes and CDs of Vince Carter, and Nike Dunks, and I loved everything about basketball, the camaraderie, the teamwork."

Kyrgios also spoke of his desire to go back in time and live his dream of becoming a professional basketball player.

"I kind of want to turn the clock back and follow that NBA dream."

Hill proceeded to ask Kyrgios why he chose to pursue tennis instead of basketball. He attributed the decision to his parents.

"I guess my parents pushed me towards that dream of tennis. They love the sport, and in Australia, tennis is huge, it's one of our biggest sports there. I know it's not as big in America, and my parents didn't have much growing up. They saw that I was talented and they saw that as a way of having a better life."

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Nick Kyrgios sparked and quelled retirement rumors earlier this year

Nick Kyrgios at the 2024 Australian Open

Nick Kyrgios endured a miserable 2023 season, as knee and wrist injuries limited him to just one appearance in a competitive tennis match during the entire year, which ended in defeat. Additionally, there have been rumors, sometimes fueled by his own comments, that he would retire from the sport.

For instance, in January this year, when the Australian Open was on in full swing, Kyrgios wrote a column for The Age. In it, he confessed to being 'at a crossroads'.

"I'm at a crossroads in my career and have reached a point where life after tennis is a prospect that excites me," the Australian wrote in the column last month (via Sportsmax).

However, Kyrgios soon backtracked on his words as he told Eurosport that he was going to return to competitive tennis action.

"I'm going to come back, I've got a protected ranking of 21 in the world singles, 11 in doubles," Nick Kyrgios said (via The Guardian).