Nick Kyrgios lists plans away from tennis with completely different profession hinted: “I do want to play professional basketball at some stage”

It is fair to say that Nick Kyrgios does not have long left in his tennis career. The 31-year-old has been battered by constant injury problems and not been able to gain any consistency on court. With his time in the sport petering towards a quiet end, he has his sights on a completely different sport, highlighting his aspirations of playing basketball at a high level in the future.

The Aussie has been a prominent figure on the ATP Tour for some time now. He has regularly stolen the spotlight with his antics on and off the court, possessing some brilliant tennis whilst not being afraid of the controversy at times.

This has made him into a must-watch player for many, entertaining and unpredictable which makes the matches that bit more enthralling.

There has just been one problem: he has not been playing much. Wrist and knee problems have left Kyrgios with a very small amount of tennis played over these last few years. Numerous attempted comebacks have resulted in him ending up at square one.

The most recent one was at the end of this year where he predominantly featured on the exhibition circuit, a possible route for him in the future. He got some important minutes under his belt in a number of tournaments, including the contentious Battle of the Sexes, but was simply not fit enough to compete at a high level.

Doubles were predominantly the focus following him getting snubbed of a wildcard for the Australian Open. He did not feature until the grass swing commenced. A former Wimbledon finalist, it is a surface that heavily suits him and one that he has found a lot of joy on. That was showcased following a straight sets win over Corentin Moutet in Stuttgart, but again injuries came at a cost. His involvement in the tournament in Halle alongside the flamboyant Alexander Bublik was abandoned while he only managed one singles match in Mallorca.

The doubles with Bublik was his sole focus at Wimbledon, but they would lose in the first round against eventual runners-up Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic. This seemed to be the final time he would step foot on the courts of SW19 in a professional manner, admitting that fact as he took in the scenery.

Away from tennis, the former world number 13 may have his eye on something completely different from his current profession. A big basketball fan having regularly attended matches while having space in his calendar, he has shared his intentions of making it big in the sport.

“I do want to play professional basketball at some stage,” he said on the Make Noise Pod. “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.”

It would be a very ambitious wish. Kyrgios may have his work cut out for him if he is going to make it big in another sport. This has occurred before in the past with tennis players trading their racket for a completely different profession. Fellow Aussie Ashleigh Barty is an obvious example. Highly skilled in both cricket and golf, the talented former world number one has a lot of sports to choose from in her youth, ending up picking tennis and having loads of success.

If this was to happen, it would not be a sudden one with their more tennis still to be played for Kyrgios. As the tennis circuit heads over to North America, he is teaming up with Frances Tiafoe for the first time in five years to compete at the DC Open. This tournament was the one he attempted to make a return at last year, but his progress was again cut short heading to the US Open. This time, he will hope for a more positive outcome.