Nick Kyrgios hints he’ll ‘never have to play tennis again’ if he claims Grand Slam glory

“It’s the last biggest tournament of the year,” he said.

“We got to try and just tough it out and keep pushing each other, keep being positive. We do realise it’s next week we’re going home. But three more matches potentially, then we never have to play tennis again.

“It’s a great win. But I come off the court and I’m just almost relieved that it’s over because there’s just so much pressure every time I go out on the court, so much expectation, so much unpredictability of what I can do.”

Now, with Rafael Nadal out of the US Open draw, Kyrgios has a clear path to claiming Grand Slam glory.

But according to former US Open champion John McEnroe, despite Kygrios entering the “prime” of his career, it’s likely we’ll see him walk away from the sport if he wins at Flushing Meadows.

“Well, I’ve got some bad news for you. Ash Barty [retired after winning a major], so it’s not impossible to think that he could do that,” McEnroe told Eurosport.

“We hope he won’t do that because there’s a phrase, I think it’s worldwide – ‘better late than never’.

“That applies to Nick because he wasn’t professional for a long time, he played a lot of matches where he wasn’t giving it his all, and now you see what he’s capable of when he does. And he trains and he’s in shape and the guy’s phenomenal.”