Tennis hooligan Nick Kyrgios is always good for a quip. In a podcast, the Australian now takes aim at two tennis legends and talks about the dark days of his career.
Nick Kyrgios is considered the “enfant terrible” of tennis. Time and again, the Australian has more or less offended his competitors with his views. In recent years, the 29-year-old has been repeatedly thrown off track by injuries, so that he has only been able to play one match in two years.
Of course, Kyrgios is also concerned about the possibility of ending his career, even though he is currently considering a comeback in December. Therefore, the Australian reports in The Louis Theroux Podcast that he hopes to be able to end his career with dignity. As a cautionary tale, he cited the two tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
“I don’t want to go out like that”
“I see how Andy Murray is doing and how Rafael Nadal is leaving the stage. I don’t want to go out like that,” said the 29-year-old. “I don’t want to crawl across the finish line.” His goal is not to have to push his body beyond its limits and to be able to use it even after his career.
In the same podcast, the tennis star also talked about the dark times of his career and revealed major alcohol problems. “It was a lot. 20 or 30 drinks. I drank like a fish. Then I just woke up and played against Rafael Nadal the next day and made life difficult for him,” said the former world number 13.
Great respect for Nadal and Murray
At the same time, the Australian expressed great respect for the two superstars. “Andy Murray has to hide from his successes from anyone except Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Nadal. The next in line is then Andy Murray.”
As for why the Scot continued despite his many injuries and setbacks, he couldn’t understand it. “I think you deserve to walk with a little more dignity than he did,” Kyrgios said. “I don’t think the surgeries and the pain are worth it.” Murray ended his career after the Olympic Games in Paris.
Nadal had announced in a moving video in October that he would end his career in November – with a home game. The Davis Cup final in Malaga in November will be the last tournament of the 22-time Grand Slam winner. Most recently, the 38-year-old had repeatedly struggled with serious injuries.
Kyrgios wants to avoid that.
