Nick Kyrgios is one of the most in-form players on the Tour at the moment but he concedes that he still has a way to go before he can say he has fulfilled his potential.
The 27-year-old has won 15 out of his past 16 matches with his only loss being to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Kyrgios’ latest victory occurred on Thursday at the Canadian Masters where he eased past compatriot Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4, to seal a place in the quarter-finals. The win occurred a day after he bounced back from a set down to defeat defending champion and world No.1 Daniil Medvedev.
“It was extremely tough. I felt pretty sick all day, pretty nervous,” Kyrgios said after beating de Minaur. “Obviously it’s not easy going up against one of your good friends and fellow countrymen. I mean, he’s been flying the Australian flag for the last couple of years.’
“I executed my game plan extremely well. I think it was a dangerous match for me because if I didn’t play the right way… I think the matchup for him is pretty good. He loves big servers. He returns really well. I’m pretty happy with the way I played.”
Whilst he may be ranked outside the world’s top 20 at present, the Australian is proving to be a formidable force on the Tour. Last week he dropped only one set en route to the Citi Open title in Washington, his first ATP trophy of any kind since 2019. Kyrgios has been dubbed as an extremely talented player for years but his career has been at times marred by controversy over his antics on the court. At his lowest point, he received a suspended ban for unsportsmanlike conduct by the ATP.
However, Kyrgios says he is determined to prove his critics wrong for both himself and those around him.
“I want to prove to myself that I can still play some amazing tennis. I’m doing it for a lot of people just so I can have a bit of peace and quiet, I can actually rest at nighttime,” he said.
Like many of his peers, Kyrgios likes to keep his personal life out of the limelight. Although it is clear that the driving force behind his desire to succeed is his family. After beating Medvedev he wrote ‘be sturdy ma’ on the camera lens in tribute to his mother who is currently unwell in hospital.
“I feel like compared to other players, I deal with a lot of shit, negativity, bad media and bad articles. So I feel like when it’s all said and done, if I continue to play like this for a little bit, prove people wrong, I can just relax a little bit,” the world No.37 explains.
“I just want to be like: I’ve done it, I’ve beaten pretty much everyone you put in front of me. Yeah, maybe I haven’t been as consistent as other players, but I’m still trying to get there.”
Whilst fatigue is starting to set in for Kyrgios, he is determined to keep fighting this week in Montreal where he will be seeking his first-ever Masters 1000 title. His best-ever run in a Masters tournament was in 2017 when he finished runner-up to Grigor Dimitrov at the Cincinnati Open.
“Form is temporary. It’s going to go up and down. Right now I feel like people are kind of a bit nervous to play me because I’m playing so well. I got to use that to my advantage,” he said.
Next up for Kyrgios will be Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz who has been taken to three sets in his two previous matches against Emil Ruusuvuori and Albert Ramos-Vinolas. It will be the second meeting between the duo this season after Halle which Hurkacz won 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4).
