Nick Kyrgios:'I will forever be grateful to Andy Murray for his friendship'

In a column for Players Voice Australia, commented on retirement from tennis. The 23-year-old thanked the British player for all what he did for him off-court giving the Canberra native key advice and having fun together.

Youd have to ask Andy why he took me under his wing, Kyrgios suggested. It mightve been because he saw some things in me that he saw in himself. He went through difficult times early in his career and had issues with how the media perceived him.

There was always a lot of pressure and expectation on him. Did he see me struggling with those same things? Maybe. Again, youd have to ask him. All I know is that Ill be forever grateful for his friendship. From bantering in the locker rooms, to mucking around at the IPTL, to Facetime-ing while rehabbing on the opposite sides of the world, Andy has been there for me when he didnt have to and stuck up for me when others wouldnt.

Id like to think were two of the better friends on tour. Kyrgios appreciates Murray not just as a player but as a person as well: Our teams have become good friends, too. Andys mum, Judy, gave my mum some advice when she saw I was doing it tough early on.

Theres no manual for mothers on tour. They have a hard time when their kids are copping it from the press or on social media. It was nice of Judy to talk Mum through it all and it shows the kind of people the Murrays are.

If Wimbledon does happen to be Andys last tournament, I doubt it will be the last time we see him on tour. If he wants to be a coach, a commentator or something else entirely, therell be people queuing up to get him on board.

Tennis needs people like him involved. ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal: Worse players than David Ferrer won a Grand Slam title