Nick Kyrgios dropped more hints about retirement and revealed he will call time on his season after the Laver Cup.
The Australian is part of Team World at the Ryder Cup-style event taking place in Boston but defeat by Stefanos Tsitsipas will be his final action of a sparse 2021.
Kyrgios, who is playing in only his eighth event of the year, said in his post-match press conference: "Definitely this is my last event of the year.
Let's go ☘️☘️☘️ https://t.co/fllZ1fKi84 — Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) September 21, 2021
"I need to go back home. I've been travelling for four and a half months now. My mum is not doing too well with her health. I'd like to go back and see her.
"I'm not one of those players that's going to go hunting for points or hunting for accolades. I feel like I've got nothing left to prove to myself. I'm incredibly proud of what I've achieved.
"Obviously, I'll get my body right and I'll start my pre-season, spend time with my family for the Australian Open, and then go from there."
Kyrgios' ranking has dropped to 95 from a high of 13 five years ago and he could yet need a wild card to get into his home grand slam.
The 26-year-old has never hidden his ambivalence towards the sport and the life of a professional tennis player, and the difficulties presented by the coronavirus pandemic have seen his commitment waver further.
His talent has never been in question but maximising it in terms of ranking or titles does not appear to be on Kyrgios' agenda, and he said: "I don't know how much longer I will be around tennis.
"I'm not going to lie, I think this is my last year I will probably play Laver Cup. There's an amazing amount of talent around the world.
"As long as I'm on the court, I will try and give my best, but I'm not going to lie and say that I'm going to plan to play four, five more years on tour. That's just not me."
