Nick Kyrgios hasn’t retired from tennis despite his ongoing injury struggles.
The Aussie has barely played since 2022, the year he reached the Wimbledon final.
He underwent ground-breaking wrist surgery to fix the issue, but it looks unlikely that he will ever return to the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments.
What would be a successful season for Nick Kyrgios in 2026?
Speaking to NBA legend Allen Iverson, Kyrgios shared why he hasn’t retired from tennis.
Nick Kyrgios claims he is only playing tennis for the fans
During the latest episode of ‘Good Trouble With Nick Kyrgios‘, the 30-year-old explained why he’s still playing.
“All I do now is play for the fans,” said Kyrgios.
“I still have a massive following.
“Now, I just enjoy going out there for the fans and putting on a crazy show, seeing the kids out there, that’s basically why I’m playing now.”
Despite changing his priorities, Kyrgios admitted that his Wimbledon final defeat to Novak Djokovic still bothers him.
“I played finals of Wimbledon a couple of years ago, and I played Novak Djokovic in the final,” he said.
“I won the first set, I’m right there, two sets away from basically becoming immortal in the sport.
“I think about it every day, it still bothers me, and I still get asked about it.
- 2022 Wimbledon final – Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6
“I got so close… I think about it, and I feel like now, I’m not physically… I’ve had four surgeries, three surgeries in the last couple of years. So I feel my body isn’t as elite as it used to be.
“You know what happens when you start declining physically and athletically? You know that your level is still there a little bit, but you can’t back it up as frequently.
“In tennis, to win a Grand Slam, that’s all everyone cares about. You could have an amazing season, but at the end of the day, if you don’t have a Grand Slam, you’ll be forgotten.
“I was right there, and I just didn’t capitalise on it.
“Now, I’m still playing, but whether or not I’ll have that opportunity again, I’m not sure.”
If Kyrgios is to win a Grand Slam, he’ll need to play a lot more tennis than he has over recent years.
The former world number 13 has played just 10 matches in the last 1,296 days, and won one in the last 1,000.
Nick Kyrgios’ last 10 ATP singles matches
| Match | Opponent | Result | Score | — Days ago |
| 2026 Brisbane International – 1R | Aleksandar Kovacevic | LOSS | 3-6, 4-6 | 79 |
| 2025 Miami Open – 2R | Karen Khachanov | LOSS | 6-7, 0-6 | 370 |
| 2025 Miami Open – 1R | Mackenzie McDonald | WIN | 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 | 372 |
| 2025 Indian Wells – 1R | Botic van de Zandschulp | LOSS | 6-7, 0-3 (RET) | 384 |
| 2025 Australian Open – 1R | Jacob Fearnley | LOSS | 6-7, 3-6, 6-7 | 437 |
| 2025 Brisbane International – 1R | Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | LOSS | 6-7, 7-6, 6-7 | 450 |
| 2023 Stuttgart Open – 1R | Yibing Wu | LOSS | 5-7, 3-6 | 1,017 |
| 2022 Japan Open – 2R | Kamil Majchrzak | WIN | 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 | 1,267 |
| 2022 Japan Open – 1R | Tseng Chun-hsin | WIN | 6-3, 6-1 | 1,269 |
| 2022 US Open – QF | Karen Khachanov | LOSS | 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 4-6 | 1,296 |
Unfortunately for Kyrgios, it seems like his body will prevent him from playing anything close to resembling a ‘full’ ATP Tour schedule.
However, he did recently announce his participation in two grass-court events…
Nick Kyrgios confirmed for the Stuttgart Open and Mallorca Championships
Kyrgios has accepted wild cards into two ATP 250 events on grass.
- Stuttgart Open (Begins June 6)
- Mallorca Championships (Begins June 20)
“Just want to give a quick shoutout to Mallorca, I can’t wait to come there to the tournament this year,” said Kyrgios.
“It’s one of my favorite events, the fans are amazing, I can’t wait to be back on the grass playing some really, really high-level tennis.”
Kyrgios has played both events previously.
Nick Kyrgios’ record in Stuttgart and Mallorca
| Event | Best performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Stuttgart Open | SF – 2018, 2022 | 5-4 | 56% |
| Mallorca Championships | 2R – 2022 | 1-0 | 100% |
The Aussie won his opening match on his Mallorca Championships debut four years ago, but was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury.
He’s enjoyed more success in Stuttgart, reaching two semifinals in 2018 and 2022.
Only time will tell how Kyrgios will perform on the grass in 2026, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action!
