In order to win a Grand Slam a player needs to be a ‘mental animal,’ according to Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios.
The Australian recently achieved a new career milestone at The All England Club where he reached the final despite being unseeded in the draw. This year’s Wimbledon was his 30th appearance in the main draw of a major but his first in a final. Before the tournament, he had only reached the quarter-finals on two occasions.
Reflecting on his run at Wimbledon during an Instagram Live interview, Kyrgios admits the enormity of his achievement didn’t sink in until a few days after. He is the first male player from his country to reach that stage of the tournament since Mark Philippoussis did so back in 2003.
“It’s crazy. After I lost the final to Novak it didn’t hit me. It actually hit me a week after that I got to a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and lost,” Kyrgios said during an interview published on the Citi Open Instagram account.
“It is sad in a way, but it has been great. I’ve got a little pad here in the Bahamas and spend a good week here, downtime and training, but it has been a hectic couple of weeks since the final.”
Kyrgios was leading the Wimbledon final by a set before losing in four to Novak Djokovic a 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(3) who has won the title four times in a row and seven overall. He has beaten the Serbian twice on the Tour in straight sets back in 2017 but was impressed by the mental resilience of his rival in their latest clash.
The 27-year-old says he now has a greater level of respect for the Big Three after playing one of them in a Grand Slam final. Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have won a staggering 63 major titles between them and they occupy the top three places for most Grand Slams won in men’s tennis.
“You just have to be a mental animal to win a Grand Slam. Novak, Federer, and Nadal, I think I give them a bit more respect now,” he said.
“Playing one of them in the final, I felt like he was fresh, felt like he wasn’t playing tennis for the last two weeks, never seen him rattled.”
Kyrgios will be hoping to build on his confidence heading into the North American swing of the Tour. This week he is playing at the Atlanta Open where he is seeded seventh in the draw. He is also playing in the doubles tournament alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis who he won the Australian Open title with.
“The doubles earlier in the year with Thanasi [Kokkinakis] really helped me mentally, even though it was doubles,” Kyrgios explains.
As of this week, Kyrgios is ranked 43rd in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. His career-high is 13th which was achieved in October 2016.
