World number 85 Kyrgios, who skipped the Tokyo Olympics because he did not want to play in front of empty stands, said he had been dealing with pain in his left knee in the last couple of weeks. American Rubin lost 6-2 6-0 to former world number one Murray. Kyrgios withdrew from the ATP 250 event in North Carolina in a last-minute call, with lucky loser Noah Rubin replacing him. “I'm just doing everything right at the moment.CASEY SYKES / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFPĪustralian Nick Kyrgios pulled out of his first-round match with Britain's Andy Murray at the Winston-Salem Open on Sunday due to knee pain but the 26-year-old is confident he will be fit for next week's US Open Grand Slam. There are so many people here that can cause damage. I'm just trying to take it a day at a time. There's always talk about me being a favourite, big expectations. But me, I just like to feel fresh, I like to feel like I've got everything under control. “Obviously, there are players that need a lot of matches going into a Grand Slam. I'm always going to have to keep that in mind. “I have always been a player that doesn't need too many matches,” said Kyrgios. Just over two weeks ago, injury forced him to withdraw from Team Australia’s lineup for the inaugural United Cup, but the showstopping Australian is not concerned by his relative lack of recent matches. 98 Roman Safiullin on Tuesday, it will be the Australian’s first tour-level singles match since he reached the quarter-finals in Tokyo in October. When Kyrgios steps onto court to face World No. “These guys that have won multiple Grand Slams, they're just animals, not only physically, but mentally.” I think it just kind of showed me how stressful getting to a Slam final is, dealing with the outside noise, media commitments, balancing on-court, off-court recovery. “I always knew belief-wise that my level was there, but to be able to do it consistently was always the issue. ‘He's not able to put it into a Grand Slam, he's not able to do this, he's not able to do that.’ Obviously hearing the outside noise every day, every tournament. “It was just a special moment,” said Kyrgios of his Wimbledon run. He advanced to his maiden major championship match at Wimbledon last July, an experience the 27-year-old believes can help him mentally and physically prepare for what is to come in Melbourne. Inside Kokkinakis & Kyrgios’ Dream Australian Open Runĭespite those extra challenges, Kyrgios arrives at Melbourne Park for the first time this year knowing what it takes to reach a Grand Slam final. It's hard to kind of just focus on what I need to do.” How are you feeling about Australian Open? You're one of the favourites. I see it everywhere, on social media, everyone talking about it. “Now to see how my career has unfolded, to get to a point where everyone kind of expects me to win and go far, it's a good feeling. “I walked in here at the Australian Open maybe eight, nine years ago as a wild card,” said Kyrgios, whose 2022 Australian Open campaign is the subject of Episode 1 of Netflix’s new documentary series Break Point. Yet he admitted that there are pros and cons to the extra attention that comes with playing at home. He reached the quarter-finals in 2015 and the fourth round in 20, and lifted the 2022 men’s doubles title alongside close friend Thanasi Kokkinakis. Kyrgios has enjoyed some stirring runs at his home major since making his main draw debut in 2014. Thanks for a great night! #AusOpen /TxzfI2cAA0 That was one FUN chapter in the and AO story ✌️ “It's a privilege to go out there and feel that Australia wants me to win and to be one of the favourites. "I think everyone wants to get to a position in their sport or their profession, be one of the best and have that expectation and pressure,” said Kyrgios on Saturday, the day after entertaining a packed house on Rod Laver Arena in a charity match against Novak Djokovic. His impressive 2022 season may even have taken home expectations up another notch for the 27-year-old this year, but Kyrgios is relishing the moment as he prepares for his 10th main draw appearance in Melbourne. As one of the most naturally gifted players on Tour, Nick Kyrgios is used to handling great expectations.įor the highest-ranked Australian in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, nowhere is that ability to cope with pressure more in demand than at the Australian Open.
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