IS it the end for Nick Kyrgios, the love him or loathe him Aussie firebrand?

Kyrgios last week said he feels he no longer wants to play tennis as doubts grew about his ability to return from injury.

The Aussie, 28, said thigh he would make a comeback but would retire on his terms.

Kyrgios added he was “exhausted” from the tour grind and, in an ideal world, his career would be over.

A million dollar ‘grind’ that most, if not all of us would welcome, given the lifestyle and riches it rewards one with.

“If it was up to me, I don’t really want to play anymore to be honest,” Kyrgios told the British On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast.

“I have to almost (keep playing). I’ve got so much more to give but, for me, I don’t feel like playing anymore.

I only want to play for about another one to two years and be at the top and go down my own terms

NICK KYRGIOS

“I’m exhausted, I’m tired. I have had three surgeries now that … I’m only 28 years old, I always wanted to have a family and not be in pain. When I get up, I can’t walk without pain.

“It’s a tough gig.”

No one is denying it’s a tough gig. First class air fares, five star hotels – big pay cheques.

Enough to retire in your thirties or forties and never have to really ‘work’ again.

But for Kyrgios he has always been seen as a reluctant hero, an almost forced star player.

He even admitted that given his time again, he wouldn’t pick up a racquet.

“I only want to play for about another one to two years and be at the top and go down my own terms,” Kyrgios, who will commentate at the Australian Open, said.

He’s not going just yet though…

“I would hate to have another surgery or anything like that. So I think I’ve still got the ability to have a good one to two years and then that’s it.

GST was going to mention Kyrgios’ long running feud with Boris Becker back in the news, but is it worth it?

Becker’s reputation is in shreds after a spell in jail for lying over his bankruptcy, so can we take him seriously any more?

Last week, as reported by GST’s Bill Scott, he blasted the Kyrgios for saying he couldn’t cut it in today’s name.

Many high profile sports played the then and now comparison – remember Ali and Marciano in boxing, Pele and Maradona in soccer, or Montana or Marino (even John Elway) v Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers in the NFL.

It’s a pretty pointless exercise because all pro sports have evolved into different forms over the decades so what criteria do you place on Becker in the 70s – in a 70s game v Djokovic today?

“The game was so slow back then,” Kyrgios told The Athletic online sports website.

The return serve from the German was swift.

“Nick makes a lot of noise about tennis lately!?! Why does he speak about a sport he apparently hates,” Becker posted on Twitter X.

“Fact-check Nick has never won a major championship as a player or coach … so where is any credibility coming from?

“Speak to your @OnlyFans about many things but [not] tennis!!!” Ouch!

NOVAK Djokovic has criticised the ATP after his coach Goran Ivanisevic failed to win the coach of the year award.

Djokovic sarcastically posted on Instagram congratulations to winners Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi for their work with Jannik Sinner, but then added: “Goran, I guess we need to win 4/4 Slams in order for you to maybe (just maybe) be considered coach of the year.”

Djokovic won three Grand Slams and reached the final of Wimbledon in 2023, losing to Carlos Alcaraz.

He won a host of other tour-level events and finished the year as the world No 1.

STEVE Simon will relinquish his CEO duties at the women’s tennis tour while staying on as Executive Chairman under a restructuring of the WTA.

In what suspiciously looks like moving deckchairs on the Titanic, the changes in leadership will include the hiring of a new CEO – who will report to Simon.

THE WTA meanwhile, has claimed “no decision” has been made regarding the location of the 2024 WTA Finals.

Saudi Arabia, which missed out on this year’s season-ending tournament, is still in the running for 2024, in a multi-year deal.

“We are in discussions with various groups surrounding the 2024 WTA Finals and beyond and have not made any decisions at this time,” the WTA said in a statement.

INTERESTING to see 16-Year-Old Mirra Andreeva Named 2023 WTA Newcomer Of The Year, given the ongoing political distancing of Russia as the Ukraine war enters another year.

The highly talented Russian has climbed the rankings in 2023 – as high as No. 46 after being ranked at No. 405 a year ago.

Andreeva is the fifth Russian to win the award, following the footsteps of Anna Kournikova (1996), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2002), Maria Sharapova (2003), and Daria Saville (2015) – who played under the Russian flag as Daria Gavrilova for six years before switching her nationality to Australia an d marrying Luke Saville in 2021.

SIMONA Halep is set to have her hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February.

There she will hope clear her name and have the sanction wiped out or reduced.

The hearing is due to start on February 7.

Halep was given a four-year ban from tennis over two separate anti-doping violations, including using the banned substance Roxadustat.

*Footnote: Halep has ended her coaching relationship with Patrick Mouratoglou, saying in an interview on Friday her trusting him was broken.

Mouratoglou confirmed in an interview last month that the roxadustat in her system was from contamination, from a collagen he had recommended to her.

Halep said she wished he had disclosed that information earlier.

“I wish that he could have done that a little bit earlier,” she said.

“My trust is broken a little bit right now and in the future, I don’t know it’s gonna be if I can trust again.”

FINALLY… as we come to the end of another year, let’s look forward to what might become a new era for women’s tennis – with a young lady called Coco Gauff.

An online celebrity website last week published some interesting facts about the Gauff family, Coco and her mum Candi and dad Corey.

Coco is a Georgian – Atlanta Georgia that is, born in that city on March 13, 2004.

Coco has two younger brothers Cody, 16, and Cameron, 10.

But few know that mum Candi was an accomplished athlete at Florida State University and dad Corey a basketball player for Georgia State University.

So, plenty of good athletic genes there for young Coco to develop.

Corey recently told The New York Times he believed he and Candi’s experience with college athletics helped them to understand professional sports better and to raise a professional athlete.

After a move from Atlanta to Delray Beach in Florida. Candi quit her job as a teacher and Corey eventually quit his job in healthcare to become her coach.

They even moved in with Candi’s parents to save money. This is no Jessica Pegula story.

Apparently Corey studied Richard Williams’ format with Serena and Venus and originally had a ten-year plan that would see her ‘make it’ by the time she was 18.

The fact that she did some three years earlier was a bonus.

“My dad told me I could do this when I was eight, and obviously, you never believe it,” she said after her win over Serena Williams in 2019 at Wimbledon.

Corey is no longer her coach, more her mentor and manager, alongside mum Candi, but the family bond still remains strong as this new star of tennis strives to become the world’s best.