Nick Kyrgios Shares Plans to Become a Professional in Another Sport After Retiring from Tennis

Nick Kyrgios has played a handful of matches on the ATP Tour this season. Since 2022, he has not been able to play three consecutive ATP Tour-level tournaments, and he continues to struggle with injuries. With his career edging close to retirement, he has revealed that he aims to be a professional basketball player in the future.

Kyrgios’ hopes of becoming a basketball player one day stem from his long-standing love of the sport. He has been spotted attending several NBA games, and he’s a known supporter of the South Melbourne Phoenix (NBL) and the Boston Celtics in the NBA. Also, he has helped organize several pick-up games down the road during his free time.

Most professional athlete dedicate their career to one sport when they are young, while being interested in another sport that they could feature in when they get older or in exhibition matches. That’s the same case with Kyrgios, who has loved playing tennis since his teenage days but uses his spare time for basketball.

However, the 31-year-old cannot feature in the NBA due to his age, but can do so in European basketball. There’s a skill and age gap between players in the NBA and those who compete in Europe. Many players deemed “not good enough” in the NBA end up being star players in one of Europe’s basketball leagues.

Basketball leagues in Greece, Turkey, and Spain offer value alternatives to players who struggle to build a career in the NBA. In Kyrgios’ case, he’s yet to retire and has not revealed when he will do so. In a conversation on the Make Noise podcast, he admitted his dream is to become a professional basketball player after his time playing tennis:

I do want to play professional basketball at some stage. One of my next goals in my career is to play professionally at two sports, like I want to, whenever my tennis journey is finished, playing professional basketball somewhere in Europe would be a goal of mine. I want to be one of those athletes that played professionally in two sports at a decent level.

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The good news for Kyrgios’ European basketball dream is that the NBA is expanding into Europe, creating a 16-team league that is expected to begin in October 2027. So, while his plans in the NBA look unrealistic, there’s certainly a percentage chance that Kyrgios will play professional basketball in America.

Nick Kyrgios’ performances on the court this season

Nick Kyrgios has played just three singles tournaments this season. He featured at the Brisbane International earlier this year, losing in the first round. He sought a wildcard at the Australian Open and was not denied, as he had not played more than five tournaments last year. However, he played in the doubles and mixed doubles categories at the Australian Open.

He won just one match in the mixed doubles category alongside Leylah Fernandez. The former World No.13 took more than five months off after that and returned to the court at the Stuttgart Open. Surprisingly, he won his opening match against Corentin Moutet in straight sets, but couldn’t get past Sho Shimabukuro in the second round.

Kyrgios was given a wildcard to play at the ATP 250 tournament in Mallorca, Spain, ahead of the Wimbledon Championships. But the Aussie failed to win his opening match against Adam Walton in straight sets. After not being given a wildcard at Wimbledon, he didn’t play in the doubles category or the qualifiers for the singles.

Nonetheless, Kyrgios is set to return to the court at the Washington Open next week. But he will not play in the singles event; rather, he will participate in the doubles category alongside American star Frances Tiafoe. The Citi Open in the United States of America’s capital will begin on July 27.

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