Nick Kyrgios credits a growing maturity for a resurgence in his form after lifting both the singles and doubles titles at the Citi Open in Washington.
The world No.37 required just over 80 minutes to defeat Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 6-3, to record his fourth consecutive win over the Japanese player in his career. Kyrgios was once again dominant behind serve by firing 12 aces and winning 88% of his first service points. It is the seventh time in his career he has won an ATP title and the first since 2019 when he triumphed at the same event.
It wasn’t just the singles where the Australian struck gold. In the doubles, he also clinched the title alongside Jack Sock. The unseeded duo beat fourth seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-4. Making Kyrgios the first man in history to have won both titles at the tournament within the same year.
“I’m extremely proud of myself and my team. It was a really, really good week. It was hard-fought. Had some incredibly tough matches,” Kyrgios said during his press conference.
“Every practice was really good. I tried to be as professional as I could. It’s a reflection of the last six months of how hard I have been working. I’m just really happy to continue the form after Wimbledon.”
Kyrgios’ latest triumph occurs a month after reaching his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon where he led Novak Djokovic by a set before losing in four. Until then, he has never been beyond the quarter-final stage of a major.
The 25-year-old says his surge in form started at the beginning of the season after he committed himself to work harder on the Tour. Despite his talent in the past, he has been criticized by some in the past over his levels of commitment during matches.
“Before the Oz Open, I decided that I really wanted to put in a good training block, and then things just started falling into place,” Kyrgios reflected.
“I had a great Australian Open. I felt like in the tournaments after the Australian Open I was kind of reinventing myself a little bit on the court. I was incredibly intense, played some really good matches, and had some great results earlier in the year.”
“Played a great grass court season. Made a couple semifinals and was right there. I was always knocking on the door of a singles title.”
Unfortunately for Kyrgios, he is still ranked outside the world’s top 30 despite his recent success. This is because no points were awarded at Wimbledon due to their decision to ban Russian and Belarussian players from participating. Nevertheless, the tennis star states his motivation is higher than before due to several reasons.
“I feel like when you play on the tour and you get older, you realize you shouldn’t be taking these things for granted, the way you’re feeling, the way your body feels,” he said.
“Also, I have a partner with me now I see a future with and I kind of see that I have to provide for. So I feel like my motivation is a lot higher than it used to be.’
“I just feel like there is a small window I should capitalize on it. I don’t care about what people say about my tennis. I know that deep down that I try really hard to do it my own way. I know that I inspire millions of people, and I’m just playing for them.”
