Nick Kyrgios reveals how Novak Djokovic conversation at Wimbledon became a 'turning moment' after he almost decided to quit tennis
Nick Kyrgios recently opened up about the impact Novak Djokovic's words had on him which led to his decision to make a comeback to the ATP Tour. Kyrgios and Djokovic trained together at Wimbledon this year, where the Serb expressed confidence in the former's ability to make a comeback.
Nick Kyrgios has been largely absent from the ATP Tour over the past two years, battling a series of injuries. After finishing the 2022 season on a high—ranked within the Top 25 in singles and the Top 15 in doubles—the Aussie found himself sidelined with issues in his knee, foot, and most notably, his wrist.
Following the wrist surgery, Kyrgios embarked on a challenging recovery process, during which he grappled with both physical and mental hurdles. In a conversation on 'The Sit-Down with Nick Kyrgios' podcast, he reflected on the highs and lows of his journey and the pivotal moment that reignited his drive to return.
The 29-year-old admitted to experiencing moments of hope where he was eager to begin rehab and improve, only to be met with severe pain and frustration that made him question whether he could ever play the sport again.
The "turning moment," however, came at Wimbledon. Kyrgios announced on Twitter that he was back on the practice courts and hitting with players. Among them was Novak Djokovic, with whom he practiced for three days.
"I hit with him for three days. And that's when I actually realized that, you know, I was only starting to serve then. And then he was like, 'It doesn't look like you've had surgery. You're moving really well. You play really well,'" Kyrgios said (at 4:58).
"And that's when I looked at my team. I was like, okay, maybe we're on the right track. Maybe we can return. And six months later, here we are. That was probably the turning moment. When Novak said that, I was like, okay, we're doing something right here," he added.
Nick Kyrgios hails Novak Djokovic’s mental and physical toughness as the benchmark for survival in "brutal sport" of tennis
In a discussion on The Louis Theroux Tennis Podcast, Nick Kyrgios highlighted the demands of professional tennis, citing Novak Djokovic as the ultimate example of the mental and physical toughness required to excel in what he calls a "brutal sport."
"Tennis is a sport where you pay for everything, you subsidize for your coaches, travel, your parents, your physios, whereas most sports, it’s all subsidized by the governing body. Tennis is a tough one. It’s the hardest sport in the world in my opinion," Nick Kyrgios said (at 21:51).
"Mentally, you have to be unbelievably tough, because you’re always traveling, you never settle, you never have any routine. Physically, you have to be an animal, to be someone like Novak Djokovic animal. These guys are some of the most skilful athletes in the world. It’s a brutal sport, it really is," he added.
Kyrgios announced recently that he will be making his ATP Tour comeback at the Brisbane International which will begin on December 29.