I don't want to retire like Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray: Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios shared his perspective on Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray’s retirements. The Aussie said he envisions a different farewell for himself and doesn’t want to exit the sport in the same way as these two legends.

Murray concluded his remarkable career at the Paris Olympics this year. Meanwhile, his longtime rival Nadal is set to follow suit with plans to step away after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, next month.

On The Louis Theroux Podcast, Kyrgios said that he doesn’t believe Murray went out as gracefully as he could have, especially considering his status as one of the sport's greats, just behind the 'Big 3.'

"I look at how Andy Murray’s doing it (retirement) now, and how Rafael [Nadal] is going out, I don’t want to be like that either, I don’t want to be kind of crawling to the finish line in a sense," he said (at 1:03:48).

The former Wimbledon finalist continued:

"What Andy Murray’s achieved in this sport is second to basically no one, like, unless you’re Novak, Federer, or Nadal, like, the next person is Andy Murray."

"It’s like you’ve achieved everything. You deserve to go out, I think, a little bit more gracefully than he’s done. I think, that the surgeries, the pain, it’s just not worth it, in my opinion," he added.

Nick Kyrgios also said that when he retires, he wants to ensure that he leaves his fans with a memorable glimpse of his prime:

"I don't wanna go out like that. I would rather go out knowing that I gave the people a good glimpse of my peek."

Nick Kyrgios: "I could come back now and beat 50% of players but I don’t want to do that"

Nick Kyrgios pictured at the 2024 US Open | Image Source: Getty

After an extended absence from professional tennis, Nick Kyrgios announced his plans to return to the court, targeting a comeback at the Australian Open next year.

The Aussie elaborated on his decision, expressing that while he could return now and defeat half of the top players, he wants his fans to witness him at his very best.

"I played a match last year…Like I could come back now and beat 50% of players but I don’t want to do that. Because my fans deserve a better version of myself that I am now on the court," Kyrgios said on The Louis Theroux Podcast (at 1:02:18).

He added:

"I don’t want to just participate and I know the world’s not going to be nice on me when I come back. They’re going to all of a sudden forget that I was out for a year and a half with injuries. They’re just going to think that it’s the Nick Kyrgios that has all the expectation again. So when he loses, it’s not okay."