After his thrilling 7-6(9) 6-7(9) 7-6(5) defeat to Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Miami Open, Nick Kyrgios took the positives from the matching noticing his mental improvement.
Last night Nick Kyrgios came up short in a thrilling contest against Roger Federer, which proved to be more like a Davis Cup tie. The crowd were booing the Aussie at every opportunity and cheering the Swiss Maestro every time he won a point. In fact at the end of the season we may say that this is the match of the year. It had tweeners, ridiculous volleys and superb serving but in the end it was a Kyrgios double fault which swung the match in Federer’s favour.
Upon reflection of the magnificent contest Kyrgios noticed the mental improvements that he has made since the Australian Open. Kyrgios explained, “Yeah I think I’ve made an effort to try and put in the work every day. Hasn’t been easy. I’ve got a great team with me, Every day we’re on the practice court trying to have fun, trying to put in the work. Yeah I feel like my level of tennis it’s always been high, but mentally I’m competing for every point. That’s making the difference.”
However the Australian also acknowledged he still has a lot of work saying that “I got a lot of work to do. I’m 16 in the world. There are 15 players in the world who are better than me.” It is great to see Kyrgios notice the changes that need to be made to reach the top of the rankings. I thought the Aussie played really well last night, incorporating his showmanship with his powerful playing style. A really solid tactical performance but it wasn’t enough to stop an insane Roger Federer.
If Kyrgios can keep up with this Tennis that he has displayed over the last four weeks, then he can be a serious threat for the rest of the season. Can he keep his consistent form? Only time will tell in the crazy world of Nicholas Kyrgios.
If you missed the match here are some of last night’s hot shots:
