ATP Masters Montreal: Nick Kyrgios - "Want it to be worth it"
Despite the quarterfinals in Montreal, Nick Kyrgios is in great shape. With the words after the three-set defeat against Hubert Hurkacz , the Australian sends another declaration of war in the direction of the competition.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Aug 14, 2022, 11:21 am
There is good news and bad news for Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz & Co. First the good news: Nick Kyrgios will almost certainly start the race at the US Open - and thus not already threaten to lose the first round. The bad: The Australian will also be incredibly difficult to play in the rounds after that.
Kyrgios has impressively demonstrated this in the past two weeks. The man from Canberra won nine matches in a row on the ATP tour - including winning the title at the ATP 500 event in Washington. This run ended on Friday: by a strong Hubert Hurkacz, but also by a weakening body in the 27-year-old.
Kyrgios upset Hurkacz break
Especially when Hurkacz left the court for a few minutes after the end of the second set to change clothes. What Kyrgios didn't really fit into the stuff, the Australian already complained on the pitch about this circumstance. And also classified this situation in the press conference after the match as at least one of the decisive factors for the clear 1: 6 in the deciding set.
"When I'm warm I can function, but after such a long break I became totally stiff and could hardly move," explained the Australian. "I'm not going to complain, it's permissible what he did. I'm just human." He himself sees it as completely normal that he ran out of energy towards the end. "This week I've had some problems, in my stomach and knees."
Kyrgios fellow favorite in New York City?
The Australian is already looking ahead, specifically in the direction of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati - and of course the US Open. The last two tournaments before Kyrgios wants to return to his home country for a longer period of time: "I was away from home for three months, traveled and played tennis continuously. Three months in which I didn't see my parents, whom It's not going very well at the moment, so I just want this effort to be worthwhile."
In any case, the goals for the last two stops are high for the Australian, who was only able to reach the first Grand Slam final of his career in Wimbledon a few weeks ago. And the 27-year-old makes no secret of the fact that he should also be expected at the US Open: "I still have two tournaments ahead of me before I fly home and I will do everything to win."