Kyrgios: "I am one of the most humble tennis players, I want to enjoy the last stage of my career"

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"It's good to be back," said Nick Kyrgios in his first response at the ATP Brisbane 2025 Media Day, a tournament marking his return to the circuit. With a protected ranking, the Australian is back in action after a year and a half since his last tour victory, with much to prove and rhythm to find at this season's first event, always keeping the main focus on the Australian Open.

"I'm a little, don't know if I'd call it nervous. Today, while training on the court, playing against another guy in the draw who has also had a couple of injuries (Reilly Opelka), makes me reflect. I look at where I was 18 months ago, and I had the surgery. It's been about 16 months. Honestly, I never thought I would come back to play at this level. Even entering an event like this, preparing, doing everything right. It was surreal to be back out there. I've processed everything. I'm very excited to go out there and play, just play tennis. I saw Novak in the gym and I'm really happy to be able to go out there and compete again."

How's the wrist, fully recovered at 100%?

"I felt good. It was definitely a step forward returning that serve from the practice court, but it was good to go straight into the ATP circuit rhythm. He has one of the best serves. Testing my wrist against that... I play against Perricard, who undoubtedly has the biggest serve on the circuit. It was good preparation. I booked Reilly a week ago without knowing anything about the draw, and he came out today, so... Very good preparation. I'm not even thinking about it. I'm focused on waking up, doing the right things for my wrist, my body, trying to get back on the court and accumulate matches."

Do you have doubts about your level?

"I've seen athletes, not necessarily tennis players, but also NBA players, undergo horrible surgeries and have serious injuries and everyone expects them to return to how they were when they were at their best. I would love to be able to go out there and play like I did in 2022, compete for Grand Slams. I still believe I can, whether true or not. There was another player who said: 'You have to be realistic.' I'm not like that. I always trust in my ability. I always step on the court believing I can win. I still believe I can perform at a fairly high level."

Your relationship with tennis

"It has always been a love-hate relationship. For me, it wasn't even a tennis issue. My daily life was affected by this injury. I couldn't carry groceries, couldn't turn a doorknob. I reached a point where if I returned to playing tennis, it was a bonus. I don't see it any other way. I'm not taking anything for granted. I'm going to play. If I play a long match, who knows how I'll feel the next day. That's the kind of injury it is. I like to stay close to tennis. If I didn't... Clearly, I comment, and I'm going to be commenting for a long time. I didn't have to put myself back in this situation of preparation, training, competition, dealing with all the media scrutiny, going out there and basically putting myself in the pressure cooker again. I didn't have to do it. I still think I enjoy some parts of the sport. That's why I tried to go through the tough process of coming back."

The limits imposed by the injury

"I'm still playing the same way I played as a junior. I don't think it's been a reality check. In fact, I think I'm probably one of the most humble tennis players. I've never taken this too seriously. I know at the end of the day I'm just hitting a ball over the net, to be honest. I guess this has made me realize that I'm not young anymore. In the tour, there are young guys, like Rune, Sinner, Alcaraz. Those guys are phenomenal talents. I know I'm not in that position anymore. I'm just enjoying the ride. This is definitely the last stage of my career. I'm just trying to enjoy it all."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Kyrgios: "Soy uno de los tenistas más humildes, quiero disfrutar de la última etapa de mi carrera"