Nick Kyrgios will play his first career slam final today at nearly 27 year-old. The Australian tennis player did not play the semi-final due to the injury of Rafael Nadal who was forced to forfeit due to a 7mm abdominal injury.
The Australian tennis player, in a press conference, explained that he had not had the opportunity to speak with the twenty-two-time slam winner: “I was unable to speak to Rafa, I found out everything while I was at dinner, before his press conference.
My first feeling was one of disappointment. I had concentrated all my energies in facing him, in my game tactics, in the emotions of taking the field and everything in between. It was not easy for him to make this decision.
I’m sure part of him wanted to play the game. This year he has lost very little, I’m sure he would have wanted to win all four Grand Slams, so it wasn’t easy. I thought I’d put up a nice post to say we had some great battles, and that basically everyone wanted to see how we were going to go to war today. I just hope he’s better.”
About making it to the slam final: “I never thought I could get here, if I have to be completely honest. I can never thank the junior circuit enough for what he did for my confidence when I was number one in the world.
I have toured for the Grand Slams and have been close to the best professionals, I have seen them here, but I never thought I could fight for the title. It seems to me that this is the pinnacle of tennis. Once you’ve won a Grand Slam title, what else can you achieve? I am proud and can’t wait to move on. I’ll give everything and we’ll see what happens.”
Nick Kyrgios: “I hate and love tennis”
The success in Melbourne in the doubles was important. How important it was to win doubles at the Australian Open: “Doubles at the Australian Open helped me a lot at the Grand Slam level. Even though it was a double and nowhere near comparable to the physical needs of the single, but the routine of playing, resting, training and then playing again for two weeks I internalized.
I realized that in a Grand Slam you spend a lot of time in one place and you can’t have as much fun as you would like. You have to stay at home, isolate the mind from the outside. In Melbourne I understood that, even if it was about winning double.
During my career, I didn’t realize that those days of rest and training were essential. For example, I beat Paul Jubb 7-5 in the fifth set in the first round … and now I’m in the final. In the Grand Slams you have to surf the waves and take hits. It is not known what can happen. He can be four points away from home and eleven days later fighting for the title. Now I am more aware of all this.”
About his love and hate relationship with tennis: “I don’t know if the situation will change. There are times when I hate this sport, but there are also times when I feel like one of the most competitive people on the face of the earth. I’m competitive for everything, be it Nintendo, playing basketball.
everything. I love tennis, but most of all I love to compete. I like the fact that there is a winner and a loser in sport, and I don’t know if I’ll ever change that. One thing is certain: whether you win or lose, I will go away happy on Sunday. It’s an incredible success, especially at 27, in what I thought was the last leg of my career. I never thought I could be here, but now I have a chance.”