Nick Kyrgios insists he is serious about being ready to quit tennis the minute he wins a singles grand slam title.
The Australian went close last year to ending his long wait, only to lose in four sets against Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
Now aged 27, Kyrgios wants to achieve glory at a major to satisfy that urge, before stepping off the court for good. If it comes at the Australian Open over the coming fortnight, it will be all the better for him.
Asked whether he stood by his previous comments, Kyrgios said: "A hundred per cent. It's a lot of training, a lot of work, and I just want to be able to eat whatever I want, drink what I want to drink and just relax.
"It's a hard lifestyle, the dedication these guys show day in day out. I did a bit of that last year, had a great year to show the world I'm still one of the best.
"I'm going to try to do it this year, and hopefully I can do it, but it'll be hard."
Kyrgios is ranked 21st by the ATP, but that can be considered a false position, given he collected no points for his career-best Wimbledon run. The tours stripped the London slam of ranking points due to its banning of players from Russia and Belarus.
The 1,200 points Kyrgios would ordinarily have taken away from the All England Club would have nudged him towards a top-10 placing.
There is the tantalising prospect of Kyrgios facing nine-time Melbourne Park champion Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals this year, and they went through a light-hearted dress rehearsal on Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
Speaking after that exhibition match, Djokovic said Kyrgios' two wins from their previous three tour-level encounters meant the sky was the limit for the man from Canberra.
"He is 2-1 against me, so as far as I'm concerned he can win anything," said Djokovic.
According to Djokovic, Kyrgios had been unaware of the potential for a meeting between the pair in the Australian Open last eight.
Serbian Djokovic has done his homework though, and appears to have mapped out his potential route to what would be a record-equalling 22nd men's singles grand slam title.
"I have to be honest, I think most of the guys are studying the draw pretty seriously, but you have to take it one match at a time," Djokovic said, speaking on Channel Nine.
"We think every player has so much motivation and inspiration to be able to play his best in the court, to perform well, so you cannot underestimate anybody, you cannot take any match for granted.
"It's a hopefully long two weeks. I know Nick and I are in the same part of the draw – he didn't know that by the way. Before the match I told him."
Sinner avoids O'Connell upset at US Open
Jannik Sinner beat Australia's Christopher O'Connell in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the US Open on Saturday, avoiding a similar fate to Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
The men's draw at Flushing Meadows has been blown wide open by early exits for Alcaraz and Djokovic, but the top seed remains in the hunt after a composed performance.
He reached the fourth round for a fourth consecutive year with a routine 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory, setting the tone with several huge groundstrokes in the opening set.
O'Connell never looked likely to fight back as Sinner smashed 46 winners in a ruthless performance, wrapping up his win in one hour and 56 minutes.
The Australian Open champion will face either Tommy Paul or Gabriel Diallo for a place in the last eight, and he was relieved to survive an opening week full of surprises.
"Everything can happen in this sport, so I try to stay on my side of the net and I'm trying to take the tournament day by day," Sinner said in his on-court interview after the win.
"Each opponent is a very tough challenge and [I am] also enjoying every moment on the court. There have been already a couple of upsets, so let's see what's coming.
"But I'm very happy to still be here and hopefully I can play as many matches as possible. But as I said, we go day by day and then we'll see how it goes."
Data Debrief: Sinner heating up
Sinner lost his first set of the tournament to Mackenzie McDonald but has been largely untouchable since then.
He has only lost 18 games across his last nine sets of tennis, an average of two per set.
The Italian's winning streak now stands at seven straight matches, meanwhile, following his triumphant Cincinnati Open run.
US Open: Sabalenka overcomes first set scare to progress in late start
Aryna Sabalenka came from a set down to keep her US Open dream alive as she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova in the early hours at Flushing Meadows.
Sabalenka emerged on court at the Arthur Ashe Stadium at seven minutes past midnight following Novak Djokovic's shock exit from the tournament, and consecutive upsets looked to be on the cards.
However, the Belarusian responded from a disappointing opening set as she looks to avenge her defeat in the showpiece match against Coco Gauff a year ago.
The world number two set up a meeting with Belgium's Elise Mertens as she emerged a 2-6 6-1 6-2 victor in one hour and 40 minutes in New York.
"I don't know what I did, I was just trying to stay low, put as many balls as I can back on that side," Sabalenka said.
"She played incredible tennis in the first set. It was really tough to change it."
"I'm really happy I was able to turn around this match and get this really difficult win. Thanks so much for staying that late."
Data Debrief: Sabalenka survives late, late show
Sabalenka's encounter with Alexandrova was the latest starting match at the US Open, beating Gabriela Sabatini and Beverley Bowes' meeting in 1987 that started at midnight.
The Belarusian, however, will be hoping for a much improved performance in the next round, having produced 27 unforced errors throughout the contest and serving four double faults.
US Open: Djokovic played 'worst tennis ever' in Popyrin loss
Defending US Open champion Novak Djokovic suffered a shock exit at Flushing Meadows as he lost in four sets to Alexei Popyrin.
Djokovic arrived at the tournament with confidence following his gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics, and was tipped to lift a record-extending 25th grand slam title.
However, the Serbian's hopes of a fifth success in New York were dashed as he followed fellow favourite Carlos Alcaraz out of the competition in the third round.
Popyrin emerged victorious in three hours and 18 minutes, prevailing 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 to confirm Djokovic's earliest exit from the tournament in 18 years.
"I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played," Djokovic said.
"Honestly, the way I felt and the way I played from the beginning of this tournament, third round is a success."
"I tried my best, I didn't have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas, and you could see that. From the first match, I just didn't find myself on this court.
"Life moves on. I'll try to recalibrate and look forward to what's next."
Data Debrief: Another one bites the dust
Djokovic was far from his clinical best, serving a career-high 14 double faults in a grand slam match and committing 49 unforced errors.
The Serbian will also end the year without winning a grand slam title, the first time he has done so since 2017.
But the day belonged to Popyrin, saving 12 of the 16 break points he faced against the world number two, finding particular success with his forehand as 31 of his 49 winners came from that shot.
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