"Some play for different things" - Nick Kyrgios hits back at Tracy Austin after American criticizes him over retirement talks
Nick Kyrgios recently hit back at former tennis pro Tracy Austin for criticising him regarding his comments about retirement.
The Australian is unable to play at the moment due to a wrist injury, which forced him to miss Wimbledon 2023. Despite his absence from the tour, the 28-year-old lashed out at the sport's intense schedule, claiming that it may force him to retire in a few years.
"The sport’s crazy. The schedule is out of control. No f**king chance [I play till I am 33], there’s no way. There's no chance. I'm playing till 33? Insane! I'm not playing till 33. I promise you when I'm gone, you'll never see me again," he said in an interview.
In view of Kyrgios' comments, two-time Grand Slam winner Tracy Austin slammed the Australian, saying it's "sad" that despite being a professional player, he is not deeply involved in the sport.
"I kind of find it sad that you're playing a professional sport and you just don't absolutely love it. You don't drink it up," she told the Tennis Channel.
The American went on to praise Taylor Fritz's dedication to the sport, talking about his will to compete as frequently as possible.
"We've just finished Taylor Fritz's match and that's his 18th tournament that he's playing in Atlanta. And Paul Annacone [Fritz's coach] says he has to pull the reins in for Taylor not to play more. He just wants to compete," she said.
"And that's what you have to feel. You don't have to feel like it's such a long season. You want to just feel like you're lucky to be out there," she added.
Tracy Austin's comments quickly reached Nick Kyrgios, who responded in kind. He defended himself, claiming that different people play for different reasons and that not everyone enjoys tennis equally.
"Why am I lucky to be out there? I worked and I put myself in that position, there wasn’t any luck involved. Some people play for different things, we aren’t all tennis n*ts, some of us have a little more of an impact than that," Kyrgios wrote.
@TheTennisLetter Why am I lucky to be out there? I worked and I put myself in that position, there wasn’t any luck involved. Some people play for different things, we aren’t all tennis nuts, some of us have a little more of an impact than that 😂
Nick Kyrgios is a former Wimbledon runner-up
Nick Kyrgios advanced to the finals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where Novak Djokovic denied him his first Grand Slam title with an enthralling, dramatic four-set victory over the unseeded player.
Djokovic defied heatwave conditions, a fierce early barrage, and 30 Kyrgios aces to win his seventh Wimbledon title and Grand Slam No.21 with a steely 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) victory.