Nick Kyrgios says the prospect of life after tennis now “excites” him as he takes to the commentator’s box for the Australian Open.

The Australian former world number 11 has taken time off from the professional circuit due to injury, filling in his time by working at the grand slam for Eurosport.

He wrote on Wednesday in Australian newspaper The Age that he is now seriously considering retirement.

“I’m at a crossroads in my career and have reached a point where life after tennis is a prospect that excites me,” he wrote.

His words come hours after he conducted his first on-court interview of the Australian Open on Tuesday night, speaking to 24-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic.

But, despite enjoying his time in the commentator’s box, the 28-year-old says he still feels the urge to play.

“Over the past week being at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open, I’ve been happy,” he said.

“Of course, there’s a part of me watching on that would love nothing more than to be out there.

“I know I can be one of the best in the world and win major tournaments – if my body lets me.

“The fire still burns, but it’s not my everything.”

Kyrgios attempted a comeback in June. However, his return only lasted one match thanks to continuing knee and wrist injuries.

Kyrgios said a return to the professional circuit has not been totally ruled out, but he stressed he will not put his name forward to represent Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Novak Djokovic fought off a strong challenge from Taylor Fritz to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the 11th time.

The world number one has never lost in Melbourne once he has made it beyond the last eight, and there is no doubt how much he wants a 25th grand-slam title.

Djokovic had beaten American Fritz in all eight of their previous meetings but this was certainly not straightforward, with the top seed finally securing a 7-6 (3) 4-6 6-2 6-3 victory after three hours and 45 minutes.

The first game alone lasted 16 minutes and the first set 84 minutes as they toiled in the heat on Rod Laver Arena.

Fritz, looking to reach a slam semi-final for the first time at the third attempt, remarkably saved all 15 break points he faced in the opening two sets, and he impressively levelled the contest.

It was just the third set he had won against the Serbian, with the other two both coming in a third-round clash here in 2021, when Djokovic suffered an abdominal injury but still managed to win in five.

But Djokovic began to turn the screw in the third set as Fritz started to feel his left foot, and successive breaks in the fourth set him on the way to a record-extending 48th slam semi-final.

Speaking to Nick Kyrgios on court, Djokovic said: “I suffered a lot in the first couple of sets. Also due to his high quality tennis. He was really kind of suffocating me from the back of the court.

“It was really difficult to find the right timing, it was really hot while the sun was still out. We all know Taylor has got one of the best serves in the world. I knew the kind of a threat he poses when he serves on such a high quality.

“Conversion of the break points was really poor but I managed to break him when it mattered. I think I upped my game midway through the third set all the way through to the end.”

Katie Boulter is enjoying being part of the “circus” surrounding Australian boyfriend Alex De Minaur.

De Minaur is the newest member of the world’s top 10 and the home country’s great hope for a grand slam champion at Melbourne Park in a fortnight’s time.

His relationship with Boulter has generated a lot of attention, with the pair playing mixed doubles together at Wimbledon last summer, and she is happy to share his moment in the spotlight.

“I am a very private person,” she said. “I like to keep myself to myself, my team close, the things that matter most to me away from everything.

“I think it’s definitely been fun to be a part of because it’s been a little bit of a circus, but a good circus. I think it’s awesome that he’s getting the attention that he really does deserve and he’s put the work in for it.

“He’s playing some of the best tennis of his life and it really does fill me with a lot of pride to actually watch him at this moment.

“I feel like I’m sharing him with everyone, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s definitely a lot. But he’s handled it a lot of his career and he knows how to deal with it and I’m right there next to him.”

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With Nick Kyrgios still sidelined through injury, De Minaur will carry home hopes virtually single-handed, but the 24-year-old sees only positives.

“I’m living my dream,” he said. “I can wake up in the morning and know that I’ve achieved a massive milestone, which was very tough to get to. I didn’t know if I was going to achieve it.

“Now I can look at myself and say that I’ve done it, that I’m a completely different player to what I was last year. It’s exciting because I’ve got bigger and better things to come hopefully.”

Boulter and De Minaur have been together since 2020 but the last 12 months have seen both hit new heights in their career.

Boulter enters the Australian Open ranked 57 and heads into a first-round clash with China’s Yuan Yue full of confidence after a great start to 2024.

At the United Cup in Perth, Boulter claimed the biggest victory of her career over world number five Jessica Pegula and has her sights set on another sizeable leap this year.

“It was huge,” she said of her win over the American. “I’m sure it wasn’t the best match of her career but I felt like I was right there.

“She’s one of the top players in the world and it gives you belief that that can be you and I strongly believe that if I keep working the way that I do that I can do that.”

She continued: “Top 100 has not been my number. I think I did that five years ago and now I really want to keep pushing. Even 50, I’ve ticked that off as well.

“And now it’s time to start getting up to the real business side of tennis and I think the work that we’ve been putting in has given me a great platform this past year to really push on and give these girls a go. Now it just takes a little bit of belief and a lot more hard work.”

Boris Becker would have loved to commentate with Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open, but has revealed the Eurosport pundits will be on opposite sides of the planet over the next fortnight.

It was confirmed earlier this week that injured former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios will be part of Eurosport’s punditry team for the first grand slam of 2024.

This raised the prospect that Kyrgios, who was sidelined for most of last year with knee and wrist issues, could come face to face with six-time major winner Becker in Melbourne after their online exchange last month.

Kyrgios and Becker traded insults on X, formerly known as Twitter, over a succession of days in December with the recent jail sentence served by double Australian Open winner Becker referenced, but he has now confirmed they will be – unintentionally – kept apart during their media duties.

“I would have liked to see a match where we are both commentating next to each other. I think that would be more watched than the tennis match actually,” Becker said.

“Look, he joined the team of Eurosport International out of Melbourne and I joined the Eurosport German team out of Munich. So, unless we get connected into the cube where they beam you into the studio, I don’t think there is anything happening there.

“Ultimately we both love the game, we love tennis, we like to commentate on a good match and that’s the bond we have.

“We have a difference of opinion, but that’s normal. We agree we want to see great matches, we want to see a great tournament and this is why we do the job.”

Becker will not be in Australia for the first major of the year, but has a vested interest after he took up the role of Holger Rune’s coach in 2023.

While the German has backed the 20-year-old to do well at Melbourne Park, he cannot look beyond defending champion Novak Djokovic, another player he has coached in the past.

He added: “I have to mention my player Holger Rune, who reached the fourth round last year, he was also comfortable, he started the year well with the final in Brisbane. He had a good practice week and I am sure he is ready by Sunday.

“Holger is a very intense, very dynamic and a very explosive young player. He reminds me a little bit of a young Novak Djokovic.

“For me, the clear-cut favourite is Novak Djokovic. He won the tournament 10 times. Let me repeat, he won it 10 times. This is a really outstanding achievement.

“He is the clear-cut favourite but he is 36, he had a small injury on his hitting hand. I saw him practicing yesterday and today, he seemed fine but we have to watch this space because he is not getting any younger.

“Having said that, when the tournament starts, he is the number one player in the world, he is the defending champion and he is the top favourite.”

Becker is back on the tennis scene after he spent part of 2022 in prison for hiding £2.5million of assets and loans to avoid paying debts.

The 56-year-old, a three-time Wimbledon winner, believes he is a better coach for his recent battles with bankruptcy.

“I don’t want to go into details to what happened to me and how I came out of it, but I think I am a better man now than I was five years ago,” Becker reflected.

“Hopefully my family would agree with that but also because of the things I have experienced, I might even be a better coach. All the top guys, the difference is often their mentality, their attitude, how they deal with disappointment.

“This is my strong part. I can really talk to a player about overcoming adversity at any given time and I am much more credible now than I was five years ago.”

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the Australian Open for the second year in a row.

The 28-year-old has played only one match in 2023, on grass in Stuttgart in June, and his withdrawal appeared inevitable when his name was absent from the entry list for next month’s tournament.

“This is a very disappointing time for me but I won’t be able to compete at the 2024 Australian Open,” Kyrgios said on social media.

“Obviously, heartbreaking. I’ve had so many amazing memories there and I just want to really get back to playing at the top of my game and doing it right, and I need a little more time.”

Kyrgios pulled out on the eve of his first-round match at Melbourne Park in January and revealed he needed knee surgery.

At the time he was optimistic the lay-off would not be too long but it was June when he finally returned, and that proved a false dawn.

Kyrgios, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2022, then withdrew just before the Championships, this time citing a wrist injury, and he has not been seen on a match court since.

Kyrgios, who is currently unranked because of the length of his absence, announced he will be in Melbourne to do media work.

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from this year’s Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament due to a wrist injury.

The Australian, who was beaten in last year’s final by Novak Djokovic, had earlier conceded there were “some question marks” over his participation.

In a statement posted on his social media accounts, Kyrgios wrote: “I’m really sad to say that I have to withdraw from Wimbledon this year.

“During my comeback, I experienced some pain in my wrist during Mallorca. As a precaution I had it scanned and it came back showing a torn ligament in my wrist.

“I tried everything to be able to play and I am disappointed to say that I just didn’t have enough time to manage it before Wimbledon.”

Kyrgios had been scheduled to begin his campaign against Belgian former quarter-finalist David Goffin on Court One on Monday.

The 28-year-old has been unable to build on his sole grand slam final appearance after withdrawing from the Australian Open in January due to a knee injury which required surgery.

He had played only one match since, a defeat to Wu Yibing in Stuttgart last month, and admitted during his pre-tournament media rounds on Sunday that he was “almost dreading” his return.

“I’m just going to try to do everything I can, prepare, go out there and play some good tennis,” Kyrgios had said. “I feel probably as good as I could feel at the moment.”

Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from next month's Indian Wells Open as he continues to recover from knee surgery.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up has not been in action this season, having been forced to pull out of the Australian Open in January due to a small lateral meniscus tear.

Kyrgios underwent surgery soon after and was targeting the opening Masters 1000 event of the season at Indian Wells for his first tournament back.

However, event organisers confirmed on Monday the 27-year-old is still not ready to return.

"Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the 2023 BNP Paribas Open due to an ongoing knee injury," a statement read.

Indian Wells gets under way on March 6 and is followed by the Miami Open at the end of the month.

Kyrgios' last competitive singles match came in October at the Japan Open, which he withdrew from ahead of the quarter-finals.

The Australian, a two-time quarter-finalist on the hard courts at Indian Wells, has slipped down to 19th in the ATP Rankings.

Nick Kyrgios has avoided a criminal conviction after pleading guilty to a charge of assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

Kyrgios, the ATP world number 20, was sentenced at a magistrates' court in Canberra on Friday.

The 27-year-old admitted to pushing his ex, Chiara Passari, to the ground during an altercation in January 2021.

However, magistrate Beth Campbell spared Kyrgios a criminal conviction, noting he had been: "A young man trying to extricate himself from a heightened emotional situation".

Ms Campbell said Kyrgios "acted in the heat of the moment" and chose to deal with him "in the same way I would deal with any young man in this court", adding he is a "young man who happens to hit a tennis ball particularly well".

In a post on his Instagram story after the ruling, Kyrgios said: "I respect today's ruling and I'm grateful to the court for dismissing the charges without conviction. I was not in a good place when this happened and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret.

"I know it wasn't OK and I'm sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused.

"Mental health is tough. Life can seem overwhelming. But I've found that getting help and working on myself has allowed me to feel better and to be better.

"I can never thank Costeen [Hatzi, his girlfriend], my family and friends enough for supporting me through this process. I now plan to focus on recovering from injury and moving forward in the best way possible."

The court heard Kyrgios pushed Ms Passari to the ground after she had prevented him from driving away during an argument on January 10, 2021.

Kyrgios' lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith explained last year's Wimbledon finalist had been attempting to de-escalate the situation by calling a taxi and had sworn at Ms Passari and told her to leave, before moving her away from the car.

It was agreed that Kyrgios said "I'm serious, I'm going to..." as he then pushed Ms Passari in the shoulder. Ms Passari said she felt some pain and also grazed her knee.

Kyrgios subsequently apologised.

Mr Kukulies-Smith told the court that there was "a relationship between the mental health and the offending", though noted Kyrgios no longer suffers to the same extent.

Psychologist Sam Borenstein told the court that Kyrgios, who missed this year's Australian Open due to injury, had "recurrent" mental health issues, including depression, suicidal ideation and insomnia, that were nevertheless improving.

Novak Djokovic has been tipped by Nick Kyrgios to win at least 28 grand slams and become the most successful singles player in tennis history.

The prediction came after 35-year-old Djokovic reached 22 major triumphs on Sunday by landing the Australian Open title for a 10th time.

He now holds a share of the men's singles record with Rafael Nadal, but Djokovic made it clear after his latest big-stage success that he feels capable of collecting many more top-tier trophies.

Kyrgios is ostensibly a rival and was beaten by the Serbian in last year's Wimbledon final, but the Australian has also become one of Djokovic's greatest admirers.

In the wake of Djokovic beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Melbourne Park final, Kyrgios posted on Twitter: "Haha I told you. We created a monster. Well done @DjokerNole [Djokovic].

"Sat on my couch and enjoyed the entire show. He will get to 28 slams easy."

Kyrgios was also impressed by Djokovic emerging post-match in a jacket emblazoned with '22', a reminder of when Roger Federer had '15' on his top after winning Wimbledon in 2009 to take the outright lead in the men's grand slam race.

Federer burst past Pete Sampras, who had previously held the record for the most men's singles majors, but Djokovic and Nadal have since overtaken the Swiss, who retired last September after 20 slam successes.

The French Open in May and June could see an almighty tussle for the title as 14-time Roland Garros champion Nadal hunts another victory in Paris, while Djokovic bids to dethrone him and go to 23 singles slams, the same number as Serena Williams won.

Australian Margaret Court won more singles majors than anybody, with 24, but Kyrgios sees Djokovic soon overhauling that number.

Looking at his sartorial choice, Kyrgios saluted Djokovic's audacity, writing: "The jacket with 22 on it is elite energy, haha I love it…. NEED MORE."

Nick Kyrgios is aiming to return to action at Indian Wells after undergoing successful surgery on his knee, his manager Daniel Horsfall confirmed.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up was left "devastated" after being forced to withdraw from the Australian Open on home soil last week.

Kyrgios was ruled out of his home grand slam after an MRI scan on his knee revealed a cyst as a result of a small lateral meniscus tear.

He went under the knife on Monday and is now battling to be ready in time for the first Masters 1000 event of the season at Indian Wells, which starts on March 6.

"The surgery was a great success," Horsfall told Australian newspaper The Herald.

"We couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome of it. Now we will be pushing ahead for a speedy recovery and are aiming to see everyone at Indian Wells."

Kyrgios won the seventh ATP Tour singles title of his career in Washington last August and claimed the Australian Open men's doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis 12 months ago.

The 27-year-old, who has yet to play competitively this season, is a two-time quarter-finalist on the hard courts at Indian Wells.

Nick Kyrgios is ready to do "everything I can do get back to my best" after undergoing knee surgery.

Last year's Wimbledon runner-up was left "devastated" when he had to withdraw from the Australian Open.

Kyrgios was ruled out of his home grand slam after an MRI scan on his knee revealed a cyst as a result of a small lateral meniscus tear.

The world number 21 on Monday revealed he had gone under the knife and is looking forward to starting out on the road to recovery.

He posted on Instagram: "Surgery complete. I'll be doing everything I can do get back to my best. To the real ones checking in and sending the vibes…. I love you."

Kyrgios won the seventh ATP Tour singles title of his career in Washington last August and claimed the Australian Open men's doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis in his homeland 12 months ago.

The 27-year-old was beaten by Novak Djokovic in his maiden major singles final at the All England Club last July.

Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios has been left "devastated" by a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from his home grand slam, the Australian Open, on Monday.

The Australian 19th seed was due to face Roman Safiullin on Tuesday but opted out on Monday. He will be replaced by lucky loser Denis Kudla.

Kyrgios had undergone a routine MRI on his knee which revealed a cyst as a result of a small lateral meniscus tear, forcing him out of the opening major of the year. The 27-year-old will undergo an arthroscopic surgery to heal the knee injury.

"Bad timing. Injuries are part of the sport," Kyrgios told reporters. "I'm devastated obviously, it's my home slam.

"It's pretty brutal. One of the most important tournaments of my career, so it hasn’t been easy at all."

Kyrgios, who pulled out of the United Cup late last month citing exhaustion, had played Novak Djokovic in an exhibition match on Friday.

The Australian started to feel some discomfort in his knee during that match, before making the decision to pull out on Monday.

"I wanted to give myself hope, I thought I had a chance," he said.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist had been placed in the same section of the draw as nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic along with Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune.

Kyrgios was the highest-ranked local player in the men's and women's singles draws, with 22nd seed Alex de Minaur the next best Australian hope.

Reigning women's singles champion Ash Barty retired last year, while compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 35th in the world, withdrew due to an ongoing knee issue on the weekend.

Nick Kyrgios is delighted to see tennis "on the map again" following the launch of the 'Break Point' documentary.

The Australian is one of a number of ATP and WTA players to feature in the Netflix series, which was made available on Friday.

Kyrgios gets his Australian Open campaign underway this week against Roman Safiullin, and expressed his excitement about the future of the sport.

"[The documentary is a] massive opportunity for my brand to get out there," Kyrgios told the ATP Tour website. "It's just so important for tennis. I think we've got so many great personalities, so many young personalities, and so many colourful athletes.

"Frances [Tiafoe], [Carlos] Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, these guys are great tennis players and great people as well.

"I think when the big three settle down and end up retiring, it's so important that these guys are on showcase globally.

"Tennis is one of the most global sports in the world. We need it to be successful."

Kyrgios won the doubles at the Australian Open last year with Thanasi Kokkinakis, before reaching the singles final at Wimbledon in what was a productive season for the 27-year-old.

"I'm definitely a fun kid who grew up in a very quiet sort of town with my family. It's obviously pretty cool to see how far I've come," Kyrgios added.

"But I think the later episodes as well, following me around Wimbledon, that type of stuff, will be super exciting.

"I'm just glad that tennis is on the map again. I think it's one of the main talking points, one of the biggest sports right now, obviously with the Netflix documentary dropping."

Nick Kyrgios insists he is serious about being ready to quit tennis the minute he wins a singles grand slam title.

The Australian went close last year to ending his long wait, only to lose in four sets against Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.

Now aged 27, Kyrgios wants to achieve glory at a major to satisfy that urge, before stepping off the court for good. If it comes at the Australian Open over the coming fortnight, it will be all the better for him.

Asked whether he stood by his previous comments, Kyrgios said: "A hundred per cent. It's a lot of training, a lot of work, and I just want to be able to eat whatever I want, drink what I want to drink and just relax.

"It's a hard lifestyle, the dedication these guys show day in day out. I did a bit of that last year, had a great year to show the world I'm still one of the best.

"I'm going to try to do it this year, and hopefully I can do it, but it'll be hard."

Kyrgios is ranked 21st by the ATP, but that can be considered a false position, given he collected no points for his career-best Wimbledon run. The tours stripped the London slam of ranking points due to its banning of players from Russia and Belarus.

The 1,200 points Kyrgios would ordinarily have taken away from the All England Club would have nudged him towards a top-10 placing.

There is the tantalising prospect of Kyrgios facing nine-time Melbourne Park champion Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals this year, and they went through a light-hearted dress rehearsal on Rod Laver Arena on Friday.

Speaking after that exhibition match, Djokovic said Kyrgios' two wins from their previous three tour-level encounters meant the sky was the limit for the man from Canberra.

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

According to Djokovic, Kyrgios had been unaware of the potential for a meeting between the pair in the Australian Open last eight.

Serbian Djokovic has done his homework though, and appears to have mapped out his potential route to what would be a record-equalling 22nd men's singles grand slam title.

"I have to be honest, I think most of the guys are studying the draw pretty seriously, but you have to take it one match at a time," Djokovic said, speaking on Channel Nine.

"We think every player has so much motivation and inspiration to be able to play his best in the court, to perform well, so you cannot underestimate anybody, you cannot take any match for granted.

"It's a hopefully long two weeks. I know Nick and I are in the same part of the draw – he didn't know that by the way. Before the match I told him."

Novak Djokovic returned to action in front of a packed Rod Laver Arena crowd for the first time in two years, and declared: "It's great to be back."

The nine-time Australian Open champion was denied a role in last year's tournament when his vaccination status, having refused a COVID-19 jab, led to him being detained in a Melbourne immigration centre and later deported.

He was briefly released in January 2022 to practise at Melbourne Park before the tournament began, only to be effectively thrown out of the country days later.

With Australia's border controls having since been relaxed, and vaccination status no longer a condition of entry, Djokovic has had the red carpet rolled out this year, befitting his status as the most successful male singles player in the Australian Open's history.

He faced Nick Kyrgios in an exhibition match on Friday evening in Melbourne, with the stadium court sold out and the match screened on national television.

Kyrgios won 4-3 2-4 10-9, in what was a largely light-hearted encounter, a jumped-up practice session. It inevitably lacked the intensity of their last meeting, when Djokovic prevailed in four sets in the 2022 Wimbledon final.

A fierce backhand from Kyrgios in the match tie-break briefly caught out Djokovic, who was wrong-footed and volleyed out of court before slumping to the floor as though shot.

There was more than a little dramatic licence about his fall, and about the match in general, typified by the pair being joined on court by wheelchair players and a pair of leading juniors for the decisive tie-break.

The result did not matter, though it will if these two meet in the quarter-finals of the year's opening grand slam, as they might after the draw was revealed on Thursday.

Djokovic, who did not appear hampered by a recent hamstring niggle, told the crowd: "It just feels great to be back in Australia, back in Melbourne.

"This is the court and the stadium where I created the best memories of my tennis career. Back in 2008 it was the first time I won a grand slam here, and 15 years later I'm here again, and I'm competing at a high level, so I must be grateful for this opportunity to be here.

"Thank you guys for welcoming me in a good way tonight, I appreciate it."

It was a night for jollity and camaraderie, but should both reach that quarter-final date, Djokovic said: "I don't think we'll be this friendly to each other."

Kyrgios, who defended Djokovic during last year's January crisis, said of the 35-year-old Serbian: "It's so important to have him around.

"One of the greatest already left us last year, Roger [Federer], and I don't think we actually knew how special the guys are to our sport, so every time Novak's around at these events I want to beat him, even though I can't at a grand slam."

The Australian Open begins on Monday, when Djokovic facing Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena first. Djokovic is chasing a 22nd grand slam title, which would equal the men's singles record held by Rafael Nadal.

Kyrgios, yet to win a singles slam, starts against Russian Roman Safiullin.