Kukushkin explains the reason for his withdrawal

Retirement is one of the most difficult decisions in a tennis player's career, and Mikhail Kukushkin has had the "luck" of having his body make the decision for him. The former world number 39 is experiencing one last dance at the ATP Almaty, where he won against Stefanos Sakellaridis in his debut with the crowd fully behind him, and he will face Stefanos Tsitsipas this afternoon for a place in the quarter-finals. Before the match, the Kazakh player explained the reasons for his retirement at the age of 38.

First of all, he wanted to highlight the great support he has received in his last tournament. "This week has been very important for me. I haven't asked practically anyone to come, just my family. There are a couple of players who came, like Alexander Bublik, who promised me he would come to my last tournament. Not only did he come, but he also played a match with me. I am very grateful for that. He was in the stands yesterday and supported me during my match from the front row, so it was a great support. Of course, it is support when your friends and other players come and back you during the match. This is the last week I have," he stated.

Additionally, when asked about his retirement, Kukushkin was candid. "I haven’t been able to play with consistency and I haven’t been able to climb in the rankings. When I realized that I was working very hard in tournaments but not making any progress, I understood that it was time to go. In fact, almost six months have passed since this decision. I am very sure it is the right one. I am very happy that it is at this tournament because I have received a lot of support. The atmosphere is very good. As I said before, it makes me very happy when other players support me at the tournament," he concluded.

Kukushkin praises Alexander Bublik

Another thing Kukushkin highlighted is his role in the Almaty tournament, and in Alexander Bublik's decision to become a naturalized Kazakh due to their close relationship. "I remember that moment very well, in 2016. I actually spoke with Sasha about the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, we talked a lot with Bublik. I told him many things about the transition, about tennis... I think it wouldn’t have been possible without me,” he explained.

In fact, he had nothing but good words for 'Sascha'. "His professional career and transition to Kazakhstan has been something wonderful. I relate a bit to his experience because he is a good player and a good guy. His latest results show that he is playing at an excellent level, and he has broken into the top 10. We live quite far apart, and unfortunately, in recent years I haven’t been playing that well. I have played mostly in Challenger tournaments, and Bublik has played in much higher-level tournaments. That’s why we haven’t been able to see each other as often as we would have wanted. But, of course, we are family. Our wives are also our friends. We have a great relationship,” he concluded.

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