MELBOURNE: Former world No.8 Alicia Molik is not convinced Australia has seen the last of Nick Kyrgios as a singles player at his home grand slam, despite the bombshell dropped by the showman in his press conference following his round one loss.
Asked about his future on Monday night, Kyrgios said "realistically I can't probably see myself playing a singles match here again".
He also blew a kiss to the crowd as he walked off John Cain Arena, leading some observers to conclude he was bidding a farewell.
However, according to Molik, the Aussie enigma's words may be walked back when Kyrgios has some time to digest his return to tennis this summer after a long layoff.
"Sometimes when you have a bit of a break and a lens on the event or on your tennis once the summer of tennis has wound down, he might have a different perspective on it," Molik told Wide World of Sports' The Morning Serve.
"He's lost, he's hurting, he's in pain, trying to think through and assess his entire career, being asked so many questions in his press conference. But I don't think it's the last we've seen of him here at the AO, he has such a following here, he loves playing here, it's his own backyard.
"Let's hope for the best, let's hope that first and foremost he gets healthy, because we need Nick, we need Thanasi, they bring a whole new spectator group to the sport."
While Kyrgios may yet decide to forge on with his comeback to the singles tour, Molik said he would be best served playing a limited schedule and circling on his calendar the cities he enjoys playing in most.
That would almost certainly ensure that the 29-year-old would skip the gruelling clay swing in the lead-up to the French Open, potentially allowing him to build up his body and hone in on a tilt at Wimbledon, where he fell just short of grand slam glory in 2022, before transitioning to the hard courts in America.
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Nick Kyrgios slumps in his chair during his Australian Open round one loss against Jacob Fearnley. Â Getty
"Grand slams are tough, they're best of five sets, yes you get the day in between. I think for Nick to get excited about playing he'll want to pinpoint the cities that excite him, that he loves playing in. That might be a starting point," Molik said.
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"You know, look through the calendar, check off the cities or the countries that you most enjoy visiting, punch them into your calendar, but also be mindful to have a bit of off time, downtime, rest time, to try to build his body back up as well.
"It's a really difficult one because when you're injured and out of the game, you can't just pick where you're going to play well. There's a different story if you're a grand slam champion and you're playing consistently through the year – you can dictate where you're going to play.
"But I think for Nick, it's a matter of playing where he enjoys because that's where he's going to be at his best."
Kyrgios will resume his Australian Open campaign alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis when they play their first round doubles match on Thursday.
