Nick Kyrgios said it took him a while to get over missing out on the Wimbledon title last month.
The world No.63 was leading Novak Djokovic by a set in the final before losing in four. It was the first time he had played in the final of a major at the age of 27. Wimbledon was the 30th Grand Slam main draw he had played in and until that tournament he had never gone beyond the quarter-final stage.
Reflecting on his run at The All England Club, Kyrgios admits that it was ‘really hard’ for him to deal with that loss. Prior to the final, he had beaten Djokovic twice before in 2017 and was yet to drop a set against him.
“It took me a while to get over that loss,” News Australia quoted Kyrgios as saying.
“Ever since I picked up a racquet, that’s always been the goal that I was told, (make) a Wimbledon final, a Wimbledon championship, that’s … the highest accolade you can achieve.
“And I was so close I almost tasted it. So it was really hard for me to stomach that loss but I feel like I’ve done everything I can to bounce back, I’ve been training hard, my body’s feeling good and I’m serving great, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Kyrgios has returned to singles action this week at the Citi Open where he is unseeded in the draw. In his opening match on Tuesday, he brushed aside Marcos Giron 6-2, 6-3, in exactly an hour. Hitting a total of 12 aces and winning 82% of his first service points.
After being criticized in the past for his level of commitment to the sport, Kyrgios says he now has a new mindset in the wake of his Wimbledon breakthrough. He describes his ability to challenge for major titles on the Tour as a ‘genuine thing’ after previously doubting his chances of doing so.
“I’m playing for a lot more than myself, and I feel like I’m just in a totally different mindset,” he said.
“I think a couple years ago, after having a great Grand Slam result, I think I would have struggled to find motivation, obviously probably a bit more selfish.
“But now I feel like I had some time off in Bahamas, but I was still forcing myself to train every day. Coming to these tournaments in shape and ready to go … I just have so much motivation at the moment.”
Although this doesn’t suggest that the tennis star might be willing to spend more time on the Tour. Earlier this week he confirmed that he will not be playing at the Laver Cup in September and will instead return home to spend time with his family.
Kyrgios will play Tommy Paul in the second round of the Citi Open. He won the tournament back in 2019.