Nick Kyrgios is the men’s player of the hour. He has won 12 of his last 13 matches, with a title in Washington (his first since 2019) and a final at Wimbledon.
Posted at 9:26 p.m.
“I really feel like I’m one of the best players in the world right now, I play really good tennis,” said the Australian last Sunday after his victory in the final in Washington. A rare confession of confidence from a player best known for his anger and erratic behavior, both on and off the courts.
Former world number one in the juniors, Kyrgios had a thunderous debut in the professionals, with in particular victories in his first matches against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. But he could never display the consistency of these champions, nor their mental strength.
“I’ve been in very dark places mentally, but I think I’ve started to turn the situation around,” he admitted. Several people have helped me on this journey, but I myself have shown serious strength of character to persevere, get through difficult times and continue to offer good performances. »
It was at home, at the Australian Open, that Kyrgios began this “renaissance” at the start of the year. Doubles champion with his compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, the 27-year-old has a string of victories (28-7 in singles this season) and climbed the world rankings. He is now 37ea jump of 100 places since mid-February.
“My motivation is greater, that’s for sure,” he admitted on Tuesday at a press briefing. I realize that there are many people who believe in me, that I can inspire them with my game, my performances. In Australia, I decided to reinvent myself a bit, decided to remind people that I am also a very good tennis player, a player capable of winning tournaments.
“That said, it’s not easy. I don’t have a coach. No one is there in Sydney to drive me to the courts, to help me prepare for my training sessions, my sessions at the gym. I try to work well, eat well, rest too, but it’s difficult. And I’m often on a trip when my mother is in the hospital, my father is not well too, my brother has just had a baby…
“It’s hard to be Australian because you can’t come home regularly. People don’t see many things. They see me winning, losing, throwing my racquets and that sort of thing, but they don’t see the challenges we face on the tour and in our personal lives. »
Against Medvedev
This week, Kyrgios’ main challenge is to recover physically and mentally from his recent exploits. Also a doubles champion in Washington (with American Jack Sock), he only arrived in Montreal early Monday morning.
Despite the fatigue, the Australian got off to a good start in the National Bank Open on Tuesday, beating young Argentinian Sebastian Baez, 6-4, 6-4.
“I’m really exhausted and sore right now,” he explained. I didn’t arrive at my hotel until around 3am on Monday and didn’t train. So I’m both happy and surprised with my performance. Sebastian is having the best season of his career, he’s in the top 35, playing very well.
“So I’m happy to have been able to offer what everyone was waiting for: a Kyrgios-Medvedev match in the next round. »
The Australian will indeed face world number one Daniil Medvedev in the second round. “I’m not as fresh mentally and physically as I would like, but he should also be tired – I hope – after winning in Mexico last week!
“I’m going to rest, see the physio, prepare myself as best I can in order to offer him a good opposition. Hopefully it will be warmer than today so the balls can be a little faster.
“And it wouldn’t be a bad result to lose to Medvedev, that’s what most players do! »