Nick Kyrgios hints at Wimbledon bow after foul-mouthed return

Nick Kyrgios hinted he had “probably” played his last match at Wimbledon after marking his return to the Championships by swearing at an umpire.

The controversial Australian, who has been plagued by injury since his surprise run to the 2022 Wimbledon final, cut a despondent figure following his straight-sets defeat in the men’s doubles alongside Alexander Bublik.

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Kyrgios, who has undergone four knee surgeries and has had full-wrist reconstruction in recent years, risks a fine from organisers after directing a foul-mouthed exchange towards French umpire Manuel Absolu.

Kyrgios and Bublik were already a set down when the Kyrgios serve was broken at the start of the second and he unleashed his outburst.

As Kyrgios sat down at the changeover, Absolu appeared to say something to the 31-year-old, who responded: “Honestly, at this point you can fine me, I honestly don’t even care. Honestly you can fine me, I don’t give a s---. All these rules are so dumb anyway.”

Kyrgios could face a hefty fine for his language, which was within earshot of some spectators on Court 17, as well as those lining the gangways to get a view of the action.

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Wimbledon rules state that players should not say audible obscenities within the precinct of the tournament site. “Violation of this section shall subject a player to a fine up to $50,000 (£37,000) for each violation,” the rules read.

When asked whether the rules on mid-match swearing should change, Kyrgios replied: “I never said that swearing should be allowed. I just said some of the rules are a bit ridiculous. I stand by that. I think most of the rules are very traditional. They’re fine.”

Kyrgios has a long history of landing himself in hot water for colourful outbursts. During his run to the 2022 final he was fined three times and had to pay a penalty totalling £14,500.

This included once for spitting in the direction of a spectator and twice for swearing, including in the Wimbledon final loss to Novak Djokovic when he shouted an audible obscenity which was picked up by the BBC broadcast and was within earshot of Prince George.

Kyrgios, who missed nearly two full seasons in 2023 and 2024 and has plummeted down the rankings to world No 1,312, was not given a wild card into the singles draw, but instead decided to join forces with Bublik in the men’s doubles.

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The duo, who reached the quarter-finals at last month’s Stuttgart Open, were handed a tough first-round draw against sixth seeds Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić and were beaten 6-3, 6-4.

Afterwards, the fiery Australian admitted he was not sure whether he was “ready to ride the highs and lows of the Nick Kyrgios roller coaster anymore”.

“I just feel body-wise and everything, probably it would be hard to see myself coming back here again and competing,” said Kyrgios, who indicated he might enter more exhibition-style events such as his highly criticised “Battle of the Sexes” match against Aryna Sabalenka last year.

“That [2022] final was always going to be one of the better memories of my tennis career. But I just can’t see myself getting back to anywhere near that level. But yeah, it was an enjoyable doubles match.

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“It was tough to have my last service game. I mean, I told Sasha [Bublik], at the change of ends, I was like, ‘Look, this is probably my last service game ever at Wimbledon’. So yeah, there were a lot of emotions for sure.”

He added: “It’s just tough. You get to that crossroads, don’t you? I see guys like Stan [Wawrinka] and stuff that are making these tough decisions. We all are on our different journeys. I’m at a very odd stage because I feel like I’m still hitting the ball amazingly. But I don’t know, something’s not there.

“I wish sometimes I was a player that could just fly under the radar as well. And that’s just not the case at all. And maybe that would be easier. But whether or not I’m ready to ride the highs and lows of the Nick Kyrgios roller coaster anymore, that’s the question that I can’t answer.”

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