Nick Kyrgios said on Saturday that expectations that he could go far at next week’s Australian Open were stressful and made it hard to concentrate. But the divisive Australian also said he was humbled to be in a position where people saw him as having a real shot at winning his Grand Slam on home soil.
“I think everyone wants to get into a position in their sport or their profession, to be one of the best and to have that expectation and that pressure,” said the talented but temperamental 27-year-old.
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“It’s a privilege to go there and feel that Australia want me to win and be one of the favourites. It’s a good feeling. But there is also a lot of stress. I see it everywhere, on social networks, everyone is talking about it. What do you think of the Australian Open? You are one of the favourites.
“It’s hard to just focus on what I need to do.”
While his frequent tantrums have long overshadowed his talent, the Aussie has had a stellar 2022, riding a blistering run to a first Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon, before losing to Novak Djokovic.
His best performance at the Australian Open is the quarter-finals in 2015.
Kyrgios said his experience at Wimbledon was a great learning curve and only heightened his admiration for players such as Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
“I think it just showed me how stressful it is to get to a Slam final, to deal with outside noise, media engagements, balancing recovery on and off the court,” said the 19th seed.
“These guys who have won multiple Grand Slams, they’re just animals, not just physically, but mentally.”
Kyrgios’ preparation in Melbourne has been disrupted by an ankle injury.
His chances of winning a first Slam are also hampered by being in a difficult part of the draw, with Djokovic potentially awaiting the quarter-finals if the two go that far.
But first, the Aussie would need to pass ninth seed Holger Rune and fifth seed Andrey Rublev.
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“Relatively, I feel pretty good. I wouldn’t say fresh, but I’m really excited to be here again,” he said. “I like to feel like I have everything under control.
“(But) there are so many capable people here. People always talk about me as the favourite, high expectations.
“I just try to take it one day at a time. There are so many people here who can cause damage.”
Kyrgios opens his campaign against Russian Roman Safiullin, ranked 98th.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
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