Kyle Edmund (zimbio.com)
Former Fed Captain Judy Murray believes pressure should not be piled onto Kyle Edmund following his steady rise in the ATP Emirates rankings.
The 22-year-old is currently ranked 45th in the world and is the second highest placed British player on the ATP Tour after world No.1 Andy Murray. At this week’s Atlanta Open, Edmund reached his second tour-level semifinal after defeating top seed Jack Sock. He was denied a place in his first ATP final following a three-set loss to Ryan Harrison.
Whilst the run is encouraging, Murray is remaining cautious about what the future holds for him. Edmund’s recent success comes during what has been a mixed season for him. After reaching the third round at the French Open for the first time in his career, he only managed to win one match in three tournaments during the grass-court swing (defeating Alexander Ward at Wimbledon).
“He’s a great prospect, but what people need to be careful of is not putting pressure on them too quickly to be something they are not yet ready to be,” Murray told The Ealing Times.
Edmund has been playing under high expectations since his junior career, when he won two grand slam titles in the boys doubles competition. Last year world No.1 Andy Murray said he has the ability to ‘rise to the top of the game.’
Whilst the praise is welcomed, consistency continues to be the problem for Edmund. He has a win-loss record of 18-20 so far this year and is yet to achieve back-to-back quarter-final appearances in his pro career.
“Like everything it’s consistency of performance. To move yourself up the rankings you have to put in good performances week in, week out, and in order to do that you need to put in the hard yards.” Murray pointed out.
“That’s the work physically, on the tennis court and in the gym, but you also need to have that attitude when it comes to training and competition.
“That’s the key to consistency and success, taking yourself forward on and off the court. He’s cemented himself in the top 50 in the world over the past year or so, had some big wins and he is still pretty young with the ability to climb up the rankings even further.”
Edmund aims to maintain momentum
With the US Open approaching, Edmund will be bidding to reproduce his run from last year. In 2016 he stunned Richard Gasquet and John Isner on route to the fourth round. This time round, he is hoping to capitalize on the confidence he has gained from Atlanta.
“It is nice to get wins under your belt and get some momentum for the rest of this hard-court swing.” Edmund said earlier in the week.
The Brit will next play at the Washington Open, an ATP 500 event. He will face South Korea’s Hyeon Chung in the first round.