Girlfriend weighs in as Nick Kyrgios tipped to become 'world's best' with huge career change

The Aussie tennis star might have a long career ahead of him if he makes one key change.

Nick Kyrgios' girlfriend has urged him to return to the Australian Open next year, while a leading analyst reckons he should make a full-time switch to be a doubles specialist. Kyrgios revealed after his first-round loss in Melbourne that he can't see himself ever playing singles at the Australian Open again.

It appears as though the mercurial Aussie is heading towards retirement, but leading American doubles analyst Will Boucek thinks he still has a long career ahead - playing doubles only. Kyrgios famously won the doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open in 2022, and the pair made the ATP Finals playing doubles that year.

Costeen Hatzi and Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open.
Costeen Hatzi doesn't want Nick Kyrgios to give up on his tennis career just yet. Image: Getty

Lleyton Hewitt even selected Kyrgios in his most recent Davis Cup squad to play doubles, and the 29-year-old is confident he can overcome injury to play. While his singles career might be on life support, Boucek has implored Kyrgios to think about making a full-time switch to play doubles only.

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And the American reckons he has the potential to be World No.1 in doubles. "I really believe if he focuses on doubles, he's got the skill set to be potentially the best doubles player in the world," Boucek told AAP on Tuesday.

"A few things make him specifically good at doubles. He can take returns really early so he can step forward and kind of use a SABR (Sneak Attack By Roger)-type return, and what that does is it totally neutralises the opposing net player. So the ball gets past the server's partner really quickly and back to the server. He can also turn and volley with that."

Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open in 2022.
Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios won the Australian Open doubles title in 2022. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Boucek is an ATP and WTA doubles strategy analyst, and has worked with top-10 teams at the US Open, Wimbledon, French Open, Australian Open, WTA Finals and the Olympics. He even ranks Kyrgios as more naturally talented than Roger Federer.

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"He's got all the shots and would be unrivalled for sure with his skill set," he said. "Potentially his ball skills are some of the best of all time, and then obviously his serve is massive, which is going to make it easy.

"He's tall, so he's got a big reach so he's good at the net for his partner and can cover a lot of area. So I absolutely think he could be one of the top, if not the top, doubles players in the world if he wants to focus on it."

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With Kokkinakis only 28, Boucek thinks the 'Special Ks' can be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. "Having a partner would also help Nick focus and play better," he said. "On the singles court, for me historically, it has been like he's very afraid to try and not lose, so he'd rather just not try. I think that mentality goes away because he has a partner, a mate as well, that he wants to try for.

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"One of the things about doubles - you can sustain your career a lot longer. We're seeing it with 'Boo' (Rohan Bopanna) winning the Australian Open last year at 43 (with Australian Matt Ebden).

"Rajeev Ram is 40 now. (Paris Olympics gold medallist) Ebden is probably not that close to retiring and he is 37. So, yeah, a lot of the top doubles players are a little bit older because you only have to cover a portion of the court. It's just easier on the body for sure."

Girlfriend Costeen Hatzi, pictured here during Nick Kyrgios' loss at the Australian Open
Girlfriend Costeen Hatzi looks on during Nick Kyrgios' loss at the Australian Open. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Kyrgios' girlfriend Costeen Hatzi has revealed she'll be encouraging him not to give up on his career just yet. “The fact that he was back on the court at the AO after so many injuries, surgeries, I’m really proud of him," she told the Herald Sun.

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“I can’t say for sure (it was his last), it just really depends on how he’s feeling, how his body holds up because he can’t keep putting his body through so much pain. But don’t worry I will be encouraging him to keep going.”