Nick Kyrgios reveals Grand Slam motivation as he eyes long-awaited return from injury
Nick Kyrgios is aiming to win a Grand Slam title as he prepares to make his comeback after nearly two years on the sidelines.
The Australian reached the final of Wimbledon in 2022 but has barely featured since then due to a succession of injuries.
Over the last 12 months, the Kyrgios has tried his hand at the world of media working as a commentator and pundit at various Grand Slam tournaments.
As he reportedly prepares to return to action in December for the World Tennis League, Kyrgios has revealed what is driving his comeback.
“I am coming back because something is keeping me around the game,” he told Code Sports.
“I have beaten pretty much every person that has been put in front of me, made a final of a Grand Slam, won a doubles title in a Grand Slam, won multiple titles and made money.
“But I think the one thing that is now on my target is a Grand Slam. I think that will be the only thing that will shut people up at the end of the day. That'll be my deep motivation.”
Kyrgios’ last competitive match came at the Stuttgart Open in June 2023, while his previous Grand Slam appearance was at the US Open in 2022.
The 29-year-old has won seven titles on the ATP Tour, but has been hit with a number of injuries in recent years.
Kyrgios missed the 2023 Australian Open due to knee surgery and then had to rule himself out of the French Open after suffering a foot injury during an alleged robbery at his home.
The 6ft 4in star then tore a ligament in his wrist which saw him miss out at Wimbledon and spent the rest of 2023 on the sidelines.
This year Kyrgios revealed the wrist injury required innovative surgery to reduce the pain and inevitable permanent arthritis, which saw him work for broadcasters BBC and ESPN at the Grand Slams instead of playing in them.
But despite his injury hell, Kyrgios is not thinking about retirement, adding: “I'm far from done, to be honest. I'm in the later stages of my career but I still have one or two years left… I'm feeling extremely well.
“I'm hitting for around three hours every day now. My wrist from surgery has completely healed and I'm feeling motivated.
“I don't want to think about retirement but at the same time I understand that it is coming to an end. I don't think it's ever going to be easy.”
