After finishing his season with a ban from the ATP Tour, Nick Kyrgios believes that he will come back stronger than ever in 2017.
The world No.13 was slammed with a six-week suspension from the sport in October for unsportsmanlike behaviour conducted during the Shanghai Masters. Kyrgios made headlines for his somewhat below-par performance against Germany’s Mischa Zverev, where he appeared uninterested in the match and argued with a member of the crowd. Since the initial ban, the Australian has had it slashed to three weeks following an agreement to see a sports psychologist.
“I’ve been doing that (seeing a psychologist) and it’s actually been good,” Kyrgios told Fox Sports Australia. “Just relaxing a little bit, spending more time with my family, girlfriend as well.
“It’s one way to look at (it), to get more time off with the people you love, and I’ve been training as well. So it’s set me up in good stead for 2017.”
Troubled by controversy throughout his entire career, Kyrgios had enjoyed his best year yet on the tour. In 2016 he won three titles on the ATP Tour, including his first ever ATP 500 trophy in Tokyo, Japan. As a result of his success, the controversial player has climbed to a ranking high of 13th in the world.
“Obviously, we had a lot of highs, a lot of lows,” he said. “But ultimately, my ranking jumped from about 30 to 13, so that’s a successful year.
“It was a fun year. I did a lot of fun things. I got Australia back in the world group of the Davis Cup, won a couple of titles, so it’s been a good year.”
Despite travelling the tour without a primary coach, Kyrgios has big plans for the new year as he aims to reach the top 10 for the first time in his career. He has also signalled that he would be interested in working with former player Mark Philippoussis, who has previously said that he would like to mentor Kyrgios.
“We’ve got a lot of similarities on the court,” said Kyrgios about philippoussis. “He plays big and he’s had a lot of ups and downs in his career as well.
“He’s learnt a lot, he’s a great guy, he’s very caring and always been there for me as well, so maybe.”
Unlike other players, the desire to become world number one is something that doesn’t concern Kyrgios. The somewhat perplexed view may raise the eyebrows tennis officials, but it is fitting to Kyrgios’ relaxed approach to the sport.
“Becoming No. 1 doesn’t really excite me at all, to be honest. It’s not something I wish that I was. Whether I am 13 in the world, 1 in the world, 20 in the world, doesn’t really bother me at all.” He told The Strait Times.
On Sunday the 21-year-old received a boost ahead of the new season when he triumphed in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) with the Singapore Slammers. Kyrgios’ next competition will be at the Hopman Cup alongside compatriot Daria Gavrilova in the first week of January. The two players are aiming to become the first pair in history to successfully defend their title in the tournament.
