Australia's Nick Kyrgios concedes tennis career could be over

He withdrew ahead of the Australian Open as he continues to struggle for fitness, but is at the Grand Slam in Melbourne as a commentator

Australian showman Nick Kyrgios conceded Wednesday his tennis career could be over, but said: "I'm OK with that". The talented but temperamental 28-year-old had knee surgery a year ago, then aborted plans to return at Wimbledon after tearing a ligament in his wrist. 

He withdrew ahead of the Australian Open as he continues to struggle for fitness, but is at the Grand Slam in Melbourne as a commentator. He conducted the on-court interview after defending champion Novak Djokovic beat Taylor Fritz to reach the semi-finals on Tuesday. Kyrgios said a career in the media was looking increasingly attractive. "I sat down with my agent, Stuart Duguid, a couple of days ago to talk about my future," he wrote in a column for The Age newspaper in Melbourne. 

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"The reality is, there is a part of me that knows my time in the sport may be over. And I'm OK with that. "It's a conversation that needed to be had. I'm at a crossroads in my career and have reached a point where life after tennis is a prospect that excites me. "I could travel the world making really good money commentating on the sport... that's a life people wish they had." 

Kyrgios, who reached a career-high 13 in the world in 2016 and has spoken previously of his struggles with his mental health, said last month he was "exhausted, tired". He did not rule out a return to the court but said that after so many surgeries "my body may never be the same again". Even if he does make a comeback, Kyrgios said playing at the Paris Olympics will not happen. "One thing I will guarantee, though, is that if I am fit and ready to play, I won't be making myself available for the Olympics," he said.

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