"I remember I was crying, it was traumatizing": Nick Kyrgios recalls hating tennis growing up with NBA dream pushed away by parents

Nick Kyrgios has revealed how his parents drove him towards playing tennis when he was young, despite his first love being basketball back then and still now.

Kyrgios, 28, has built a solid career for himself so far in the sport, starting when he was a junior when he became World No.1 and the junior Australian Open winner in that same category. The Aussie is known for his fiery temperament on-court, and that has spilled over into his interviews at times, where he has previously stated his dislike for tennis in preference of other sports - such as basketball.

Speaking on the show Good Trouble, Kyrgios told the story of how he got into tennis as a boy, with some unpleasant memories. "I hated tennis. I grew up very fat, overweight as a kid and my mum saw that and said, "You need to be a bit active," he said. "She dragged me down to the tennis courts and got me into tennis. I hated it. I was crying... It was traumatizing to be honest."

Also during the interview, the former Wimbledon finalist revealed his love for basketball and would have loved the chance to give it a go as a profession. "I loved basketball. I loved the culture. I used to sit there watching VCR tapes and CDs of Vince Carter, and Nike Dunks, and I loved everything about basketball, the camaraderie, the teamwork.

"I kind of want to turn the clock back and follow that NBA dream." Kyrgios has not played competitively so far in 2024 due to injury. He has speculated in the past about potentially walking away from the game, but quickly cooled those rumours, saying he hopes to return to tennis soon.