Former World No. 39 Mikhail Kukushkin drew curtains on his 20-year career. However, when it came to announcing his retirement, he chose something that goes against the traditional norm. This act by the 38-year-old Kazakh caught the attention of tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, who didn’t quite expect this.

“Mikhail Kukushkin might be the first tennis player I’ve seen announce a retirement on LinkedIn”, tweeted Rothenberg.

Even though the message’s medium was odd and slightly comical, the content was emotional. “Tennis has never been just a job or a sport for me. It has been my life. Since childhood, it has taught me how to dream, how to fight, how to deal with defeat, how to appreciate victory, and how to never give up”, penned an emotional Kukushkin.

Kukushkin announced he would retire in front of his home fans, penciling in the 2026 Almaty Open in October as his last event on the Tour. That would be the first Tour-level event he would play this year, after playing all 38 of his matches in 2026 at the Challenger level, with one runner-up finish in Glasgow.

Kukushkin had made his debut on the Tour back in 2006 while playing under the Russian flag, but soon adopted Kazakhstan’s citizenship and started representing the country in 2008. He was the one who set the standard for Kazakh tennis in the early 2010s, by becoming the first player from the country to reach the fourth round at the 2012 Australian Open and cracking the top 40 on the ATP rankings. He is famous for his gritty style of play, often dragging opponents into baseline battles, which often helped him win long five-set matches at Grand Slams.

The Kazakh might not have racked up trophies in the cabinet over the course of his career, but he did have a few notable achievements.

Mikahil Kukushkin Has a Losing Record in Both Singles and Doubles

Unfortunately, for Kukushkin, the Kazakh will be retiring with a losing record in both singles and doubles. He reached four career finals, winning his only ATP title in 2010, when he secured his first Top-10 win over Mikhail Youzhny in the final. His last career final came at the Open 13 in 2019, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

As for his Grand Slam performances, barring his run at the Australian Open in 2012, his only other notable Major appearance was reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2019. He won against the likes of Pablo Andujar, John Isner, and Jan-Lennard Struff to reach the round of 16, where he was pipped by Kei Nishikori in a four-set contest. The last time he played in a main draw at a Grand Slam was at the 2024 French Open, where he lost in the first round to Fabian Marozsan.

He fared better in doubles at Majors, reaching the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open, partnering countryman Alexander Bublik, before losing to the eventual champions, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. Over the last two years, Kukushkin’s form has dipped significantly, with the Kazakh hardly playing main-draw matches at Tour-level events. His last notable run at an ATP event was in Hangzhou back in 2024, where he reached the quarterfinals. However, one would expect, playing his last event at home, the Kazakh will have one last hurrah before he hangs up his racket.