"I've played Top-10 tennis players in the world this year and made them look pretty ordinary, I know where my game is" - Nick Kyrgios on his chances at Wimbledon
Nick Kyrgios is seen by many as a potential dark horse for this year's Wimbledon Championships and the Australian himself agrees with that assessment. Speaking at his press conference before his opener at SW19, the former World No. 13 remarked that his performance against top opponents this year is all the proof one needs to see to consider him a real threat at the tournament.
Kyrgios comes into Wimbledon with a 16-6 win-loss record in 2022, with three of those wins coming against opponents ranked in the Top-10. In his opener, the 27-year-old will take on Great Britain's Paul Jubb in what is expected to be an easy win for him.
Nick Kyrgios returns to #Wimbledon unseeded, but full of confidence ahead of the tournament:
"I've played top-10 players this year and made them look pretty ordinary." https://t.co/FEALqk9J0I
The World No. 45 revealed that he is quite happy with the way he is playing at the moment and hopes to get good results at the grass Major in the coming days.
"I've played top-10 tennis players in the world this year and made them look pretty ordinary. I know where my game is. I know that if I feel confident I am able to do well whenever I want. I have to make sure I have good results, try my best," Nick Kyrgios said, adding, "Had I realized it earlier in my career, maybe the narrative would have been different. I'm proud to be where I am right now."
The mercurial Australian had skipped the entirety of the European clay swing prior to the grass season, which was a strategic move by him to spend more time with family and friends.
Kyrgios declared that he has no intention of spending most of the year traveling, adding that he didn't care about "rankings" anymore and simply preferred a normal lifestyle.
“I don't want to be that type of tennis player who plays all year. Living in Australia, it's hard to find the balance between spending time with family and friends and having a normal lifestyle," Nick Kyrgios said. "I don't want to spend seven or eight months there. It's not something I care about. I don't chase rankings."
The 27-year-old also addressed critics who have constantly bad-mouthed him for not living up to his full potential, remarking that his track record speaks for itself. Kyrgios was of the opinion that a Grand Slam title should not be the benchmark for success in tennis, since very few manage to achieve it anyway.
Nick Kyrgios withdraws from Mallorca, won't face Bautista Agut later today...
Going to Wimbledon with a 7-2 record on grass in 2022. Gonna be dangerous.
The World No. 15 made it clear that he did not think about winning Wimbledon, focussing instead only on winning the early rounds and fine-tuning his own game in preparation for the bigger clashes.
"I know that if I serve and play well, I can beat anyone. I've beaten almost everyone in the box before. It is as if there are not many people who have overcome the obstacle of winning a Grand Slam," Nick Kyrgios said. "But I'm one of the people who has to deal with it every week, 'He's one of the biggest wastes of talent.' It's obviously something I want to get over, hopefully one day. I have to focus on the first few rounds, make sure I get through as quickly as possible. I don't think about winning it right now. We'll see what happens."
"Honestly, I don't think it was a good idea to ban Russian and Belarusian players from playing" - Nick Kyrgios
During the press conference, Nick Kyrgios also weighed in on Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from the tournament, stating that it was not a good idea. The Australian was of the opinion that banning the biggest talents in the sport from playing was not the smartest move by the event organizers.
“Honestly, I don't think it was a good idea to ban them [Russian and Belarusian players] from playing. Daniil Medvedev is the best we have in our sport right now," Nick Kyrgios said. "Also other players like Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov, important young tennis players for tennis to continue growing."
The 27-year-old remarked that he was "disappointed" at not getting the chance to test his mettle against them, especially since stars like World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev were prevented from competing at SW19 because of the ban.
"Personally, as a competitor and someone who wants to go up against them, I'm disappointed they're not here," Nick Kyrgios said. "It is strange that Medvedev is not here. We all know what he is capable of."