Nick Kyrgios refuses to play Olympics in sad revelation about looming tennis retirement
The Aussie tennis star has ruled himself out of the Paris Games citing the Australian Olympic Committee's treatment of him.
Nick Kyrgios says regardless of whether he is fit or not he won't represent Australia at the Paris 2024 Games or any Olympic Games in the future. The Aussie tennis star last competed in June and is unsure if he will return to tennis at all, revealing his "time in the sport may be over".
In a column for The Sydney Morning Herald, Kyrios wrote: "I’m at a crossroads in my career and have reached a point where life after tennis is a prospect that excites me." The Wimbledon finalist is currently sidelined through injury and has been working for TV networks ESPN and Eurosport to provide commentary and insights during the Australian Open and he sees that as a viable career option moving forward.
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"It's why my manager brought it up (talk about Kyrgios' future)," Kyrgios said. "He said 'This could be you from now on if you want it to be'. I could travel the world making really good money commentating on the sport, doing things like I am now with my talk show interviewing guys like Gordon Ramsay and Mike Tyson.
"That’s a life people wish they had. Even the players on the circuit would love to be doing what I am doing now, but they have a different way of thinking. They don’t have the global reach that I do. Otherwise, they would be doing it too. Their entire world revolves around playing tennis, and that’s never been me."
Nick Kyrgios will never represent Australia at the Olympics
But one thing is for certain, if the Aussie star is to return it won't be to represent Australia. Kyrgios says the Australian Olympic Committee's treatment of him he will never forget, labelling it "unfair and unjust".
"The way I was treated by the Australian Olympic Committee and former chef de mission Kitty Chiller will never be forgotten," he said. "To ban me from playing at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games was a disgrace. I was No.13 at the time and had a genuine chance at winning a medal. For them to forbid me from representing my country for behavioural reasons is something that I just can’t forget."
Kyrgios had to pull out of this year's Australian Open due to ongoing knee and wrist rehabilitation. The Aussie says he is unsure of the timeframe of his return or even if he can return to the level he was before surgery.
"I'm hoping I can recover from the wrist injury that required surgery last year in time for Wimbledon and the US Open, but that’s no guarantee. My body may never be the same again and injuries can take you down a different path than you imagined," Kyrgios said.
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