Nick Kyrgios continues to amaze in this Miami Open, Due to his level of play and his feelings, he is showing that he has definitively focused on tennis. With his victory over Fognini he returns to the world top-100 and he is convinced that it is time to keep looking up and win more matches: “I have found the motivation and peace to face these types of events”.
Match against Fognini
“It was a difficult game. We all know what Fabio is capable of and how he can play and who he has won. I knew it was not going to be easy today before the gameI knew I had to go with a calm mindset, keep my head down and let him get the most out of it. He just had to keep his head down and get on with the game.”
About his knee injury
“The injury I have and the way my knee is does not allow me to play at the highest level without proper maintenance, without proper treatment. I’ve been doing more gym since preseason than I ever have. I have to thank all that effort, because it is what is helping me to endure these games”.
About his knee treatment: “I need at least an hour a day. It’s not just the knee. There are other parts of my body that if they break down they are also going to put more stress on my knee. It is a constant maintenance, it is something symptomatic, you wake up one day and you can feel a lot of pain or not feel anything”.
Noticeable improvement at decisive points
“I feel like I’ve always played the big points well in my career.. In the beginning, I guess the reason I got to the top of the sport so quickly is because I played those important points well. For me it is vital to feel that peace off the court so that on it I can play the best of myself and have much clearer ideas”.
His title in Australia helped him improve
“Before I felt like I was totally playing under pressure and I had a negativity that didn’t really let me play well. Every day was constant negativity of the journalists, family, friends of all, I did not find positive things anywhere. I really hated my life and everything that revolved around it.”
“Leaving all this behind has taken me a long time, but now I am very happy and I think you can see that on the track. I take nothing for granted. I have a beautiful girlfriend. My best friend is here. I am playing great tennis. I just try to stay in the moment, think about the present. For me there is no time to mourn and I just move on. I just try to be positive, to help others and to lift my spirits.”
Think high for the future
“Obviously I want to get as high as possible, but my goal is to go day by day. Before, I felt that my biggest goals were not to win tournaments and become number 1 in the world. That’s not something I valued. I think that athletes always think, when they are young, that there is always a certain way of doing it, like that you have to be very professional, that you have to do this, that you have to do that, but in reality it is not like that”.
“I think I have paved the way. That’s why a lot of people relate to me on the court, because they say: Well, if this guy can do it, then they start to believe.”
“But it was not an easy conversation to have. I had to look in the mirror and say: Well, are you really okay with not winning these tournaments, something you’ve dedicated your whole life to? Seems OK. It was hard, but I’m not like that.”