Nick Kyrgios starts his tennis TV commentary career off with a joke that BOMBS as he reveals where he’s at with his long-running injury battle
- Kyrgios’ commentary joke falls flat
- Star debuted on the Tennis Channel
- He says he would like to return to tennis
Controversial Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has started his TV commentary career with a poor attempt at humor before revealing how ‘hungry’ he is to return to the court.
Kyrgios played just one match in 2023 after knee surgery ruled him out of the Australian Open, before a wrist injury derailed plans for a return to Wimbledon and a tilt at the US Open.
Despite being out of action, the 28-year-old landed a job commentating at the end-of-season World Tour Finals in Turin, and on Thursday he stepped into the booth for the round-robin match between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev .
Kyrgios seemed in good spirits and joined Jim Courier and Brett Haber on Tennis Channel, but his opening joke backfired.
When asked what he was doing in LA, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist replied: ‘I was getting coffee and saw you guys. You had a spare suit, a spare microphone, and here I am.”
Kyrgios has landed a new tennis gig in the commentary box for Tennis Channel
Rumors have swirled that he is on the verge of retirement, but the troublemaker dismissed that as he insisted he is ‘hungry’ to get back on the field.
“I’m doing everything I can to get back out there,” he said.
‘Rehabilitating every day, doing gym work, but to be here, to be able to see the match we’re going to see… I’m really looking forward to explaining it to everyone.’
The ATP Finals will see the world’s eight best players go head-to-head in a round robin format to crown the best player of the season – and Kyrgios believes he is uniquely qualified to commentate.
‘I like watching tennis. I feel like I’m a bit of a student of a game,” Kyrgios said.
“I watch my own film, I have my own tactics… I’ve played against these guys a lot and I know what they’ll do under pressure. I know how to achieve success, as well as what their strengths are.
“Your whole year is work, so I think there’s extra pressure, and you want to end the year in good style.
Kyrgios has played just one match so far in 2023 but says he is working hard on his rehabilitation
The Aussie Wimbledon finalist says he is very impressed with Carlos Alcarax
“All these guys have had probably the best seasons in the world and they want to go out with a bang.”
When asked by Courier if anything surprised him about the 2023 season, Kyrgios praised young talent Carlos Alcaraz.
“I think we all knew Alcaraz was going to be a stud one day,” he said.
“But to be as young and dominate as he does is incredible.”