Everyone was wondering how he would manage Nick Kyrgios the fact of being a Grand Slam finalist. Would I lose motivation? Would you play fewer tournaments? The answer was not long in coming: six games, six wins. After winning the doubles last week in Atlanta with Kokkinakis, this week he has a win for every draw in the ATP 500 de Washington. The one from Canberra is more excited than ever and that’s how he expressed it in his last press conference, after knocking down Marcos Giron in just 59 minutes.
Vuelta a Washington
“I had a bitter taste from last year, where I lost in the first round due to a multitude of things that were happening to me off the court. I just didn’t have fond memories of Washington, to be honest. I came out pretty nervous today, I know I’ve won this tournament before, but I wanted to make sure I put in a good performance this year. I’ve been training really hard, I feel like I’m in a better place regarding my tennis, also mentally, so I wanted to show it to my fans. I wanted to go out there and put on a good show, just to redeem myself.”
Showtime on the match ball
“In 2019 I was already doing it several times at match point, I just approached someone in the stands and asked them. I think it’s a great experience for someone who paid money to come and see you play, going home with that memory can be very special, whether it’s a small child or an older woman as was the case this time, I consider it something cool. I wish I would have had that experience when I came to watch tennis matches.”
A pending trial in Canberra
“I always knew I would play this tournament. I have the people I love by my side, I am dealing with these things together with my team. All I can do right now is keep working and keep my head down, do what I love every day, which is play tennis and inspire millions of people, enjoy the world with my beautiful girlfriend. That’s all I’m worried about.”
Doubles champion in Atlanta
“Playing doubles is always fun, especially when you play with a good friend. I’d rather play doubles and have those classic competitive games where you can flow than go out and do normal training. I feel like it’s more exciting to go out and compete and obviously continue to play for money. Lifting another title alongside Thanasi was huge, plus it’s never easy to win a title. He lost last week in the first round, so I’m sure he helped her gain more confidence as well. It helped me, although today I started a bit slow, but then I was excellent with my serve”.
a new mindset
“I am playing for much more than myself, I feel like I have a totally different mindset. A couple of years ago, after getting a great Grand Slam result, I would have struggled to keep going, find the motivation, I was probably a bit more selfish. Now I feel like I’ve had time off to go to the Bahamas, but I was still training there every day. I was thinking about getting to these tournaments and being in shape to play. You know, Marcos Giron is among the 50 best in the world, beating him in an hour is not easy. I’m doing everything I can, I have a lot of motivation at the moment”.
The Wimbledon opportunity
“I’m having a great year, if Wimbledon had given points now I’d be in the top 15 or top 20 in the world. I feel like I’m playing at that level of tennis, like I’m top 10 or top 5 right now. Obviously, losing that final hurts, since I was little all the coaches whispered in my ear what Wimbledon meant, the most important trophy that can be won. Having that opportunity and falling short is not easy to digest, after all, if you win Wimbledon, then no matter what happens with your career, you can say that you achieved the greatest. Now that weeks have passed, there are a lot of things that I would have done differently in that match, so I just think about doing my best to put myself back in that position. Now we all know that it is possible, we never thought it was possible to compete for the Grand Slams, but now it is something genuine.
Little pisses on the track
“Sometimes I feel a bit of a perfectionist, maybe I’m too hard on myself. If someone wins a match in an hour, it’s normal to be happy, but sometimes I can win 6-3, 4-0 and I still get angry about things. The Wimbledon final has made me obsessed with trying to play every point perfect, but this is not realistic. Nobody plays a match without making unforced errors, not even Djokovic or Nadal, we all fail. I think I’m going to be a little bit kinder to myself, stop waiting to play every perfect point. All this is a new experience, there are players who reach a Grand Slam final and then suffer for the next six months, I don’t want this to happen to me.
