Nick Kyrgios has been hailed by a former pro for his newfound attitude towards tennis. The world No 21 has enjoyed a career-best season, reaching the Wimbledon final and winning his seventh singles title at the Washington Open, and he started the year strong by winning the Australian Open doubles title. And Wally Masur said it was the Aussie’s reaction to his doubles Grand Slam crown that showed his motivation.
Kyrgios has had the season of his career in 2022, reaching new heights by making the Wimbledon final in singles and winning the Australian Open in doubles. And the 27-year-old has a whole new approach to tennis, admitting during the recent Japan Open that he injured himself from overplaying and being “too excited to get on the court”.
The Aussie’s new outlook has been noticeable all year, as he explained during his Wimbledon run that he was doing the “right things” by training every day, looking after his body and ensuring he got enough rest every night. And Australia’s former Davis Cup captain has now hailed Kyrgios for realising his potential.
“Nick has been living in Sydney and two days later (after the Australian Open), he was on court with a young Australian player James McCabe,” Wally Masur said during the recent launch of the 2023 Australian Open, highlighting Kyrgios’ passion for helping young potential players.
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“He spends time with them, he’s talking tennis with them, he’s encouraging them and he is a really good mentor to a lot of these kids coming through.” The retired former world No 15 also recalled his conversation with Kyrgios after the 27-year-old won the Australian Open doubles title alongside long-time friend Thanasi Kokkinakis, and said his response showed the hunger he had to go on and achieve more this season.
Masur explained: “I said to Nick, ‘mate, well done, you’re a Grand Slam champion.’ He sort of said sheepishly, ‘yeah, it’s only doubles.’ Winning that whet his appetite for more”. The 59-year-old also thought that the pandemic played a part in Kyrgios’ motivation, with the seven-time title winner opting not to travel and compete when the tour first resumed in late 2020.
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“(After) Covid and a separation for the tour, he was kind of realising what he’d missed,” Masur said. “And boy, did he light it up at Wimbledon. I was really encouraged by not just the result, but the way he was playing.”
Kyrgios himself is hoping for a strong end to what has already been a standout season. The world No 21 was forced to pull out of last week’s Japan Open when an old knee injury flared up from “overloading” and said it was the “smart” decision so he could keep playing through to the end of the season, as he is set to play the ATP 500 in Basel and Paris Masters before he and Kokkinakis play the doubles at the prestigious year-end ATP Finals.
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