'100 per cent!' - Nick Kyrgios confirms he will retire if he wins a singles Grand Slam ahead of Australian Open 2023

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 13/01/2023 at 17:48 GMT

It is no secret that Nick Kyrgios has felt homesick a lot in recent years as the demands of constantly travelling away from Australia have taken their toll on him and other players from the country - including the now-retired Ash Barty, the reigning women's singles champion at the Australian Open. Kyrgios was asked if he would retire if he won a Grand Slam singles title - and he confirmed it.

Nick Kyrgios has confirmed that he will retire from professional tennis if he wins a Grand Slam singles title ahead of next week's Australian Open.

The 27-year-old has previously hinted that he would retire if he won a major, and when asked directly if that was true after his entertaining exhibition match with Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena on Friday, he had no hesitation in making it abundantly clear that was indeed the case.

It is famously difficult for Australian players to cope with the travel demands of the professional tennis tours and both Kyrgios and the now-retired Ash Barty - who is the reigning women's singles champion in Melbourne - have frequently spoken of how hard it is to be a long way away from the country for the majority of the year.

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Kyrgios has also been desperate to be at home more for family reasons, so it did not come as a big surprise when he confirmed his mindset ahead of the start of the action at Melbourne Park with the main draw getting underway on Monday.

When he was asked if he would retire if he won a Grand Slam singles title, as he has hinted at before, the Canberra star replied: "100 per cent! It is a lot of training and a lot of work.

"I just want to be able to eat whatever I want and drink what I want to drink, and just relax. It is a hard lifestyle.

"The dedication that these guys show day in and day out... I did a bit of that last year and had a great year to show that I am still one of the best. "I am going to try and do it this year, and hopefully I can do it, but it will be hard."

• Djokovic 'emotional' after Melbourne welcome, Kyrgios wants 'Wimbledon payback'
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• Who's playing the 2023 Australian Open and who's missing out?

'I need payback from Wimbledon!' - Kyrgios on facing Djokovic in Melbourne

Asked if he could have envisaged playing an exhibition with Djokovic before they patched up their relationship, Kyrgios replied: "Absolutely not!"

He went on to expand: "I think it is just so important to have him around.

"Obviously, one of the greatest already left us last year, Roger [Federer] and I don't think we actually knew how special these guys are to our sport.

"So every time Novak is around at one of these events, I will want to beat him - even if I can't at a Grand Slam! - but it is very important to have him around because he is one of the most important [players] for our sport."

When Djokovic was asked if Kyrgios could win a Grand Slam, the Australian intervened and said: "Please say no because there is too much expectation!"

Djokovic responded: "He is 2-1 against me, so as far as I'm concerned, he can win anything!"

'I feel emotional right now' - Djokovic thanks fans in Melbourne, teases Kyrgios

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