"I feel like a Grand Slam final doesn't come around so often for us normal players; Obviously Federer, Nadal, Djokovic played a ton, that was like the golden opportunity I felt for me" - Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios revealed how hard he took his Wimbledon final loss against Novak Djokovic, saying that getting to that stage in a Major happens rarely for "normal players" like him, in contrast to the Big 3 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the Serb.
Kyrgios reached his first-ever Grand Slam singles final at the grass-court Major last month where he took the first set before crumbling against eventual champion Djokovic. He had the opportunity to square off against Nadal in the semis but the 22-time Major winner withdrew due to an abdominal tear.
Kyrgios said that losing his maiden Major final was not "easy to stomach," given it was his "golden opportunity."
"Obviously, that match hurts. I think ever since I picked up a tennis racquet, I had coaches in my ear saying the Wimbledon trophy is the highest accolade you can achieve in the sport. To have that opportunity and come up short wasn't easy for me to stomach," said Nick Kyrgios.
"It was hard. I feel like a Grand Slam final doesn't come around so often for us normal players. Obviously Federer, Nadal, Djokovic played a ton of Grand Slam finals, but that was like the golden opportunity I felt for me. Going up a set as well," he added.
While the mercurial Aussie may have had regrets about the outcome of the match, he said that he is motivated to make himself a Grand Slam final contender again.
"There are so many things I would have done differently I think now that I have digested that match, but I'm doing all the right things to put myself in that position again. I think I'm doing that, and my whole team is helping me achieve that goal," said Nick Kyrgios.
"Sometimes people play a Slam final or win a Grand Slam and they struggle for the next six months, but I feel like I don't want to be one of those players" - Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios kicked off his post-Grand Slam final action on a high note, notching a 59-minute 6-3, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron at the Citi Open.
Kyrgios reflected on his Wimbledon feat after the match, saying that while others may have struggled after Grand Slam success, he hopes that he will not be among them as he makes the most of the "small window" given to him.
"Sometimes people play a Slam final or win a Grand Slam and they struggle for the next six months, but I feel like I don't want to be one of those players. I want to be one of those players that rides with it and continues to play well. I don't want to have any lulls or down matches after a Grand Slam. It's a small window, so I'm going to use it," said Nick Kyrgios.
Reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev lost his next five finals after taking the title at Flushing Meadows and halting Novak Djokovic's calendar-year Grand Slam bid.
Dominic Thiem, after seizing his first Major crown at the US Open two years ago, exited in the quarterfinals of his next tournament, Roland Garros, where he was a two-time finalist.