Nick Kyrgios reflects on his younger years on the ATP World Tour ahead of his quarter-final at the Citi Open in Washington.
The Australian reached the last eight in the American capital after a comprehensive 6-2 7-5 win over Yoshihito Nishioka.
Tonight’s quarter-final will be his first since winning the title in Acapulco as he looks to reach the last four in Washington ahead of the US Open later this month.
After his win, Kyrgios reflected on his younger years on the tour as he admits the media spotlight was too much as a teenager, “We got a little bit of media training when I was younger, but I don’t think I was ready mentally,” Kyrgios told the Washington City Post.
“I don’t think I was mature enough to deal with the spotlight. Obviously it was tough. Everything I was doing on and off the court was being monitored. It was tough. I was expected to win a lot more matches, and when you lost, those losses came at a price.
“The media would notice those more than the wins almost. But I mean, it was tough. You have to do it straight after you play. A lot of media commitments leading into tournaments, leading into events like tonight. But the more you win, the higher up you get, I guess it comes with the territory.”
It’s very interesting to hear this perspective from the 24 year-old as it could help players like Coco Gauff try to manage their schedules a bit better.
Tennis is a mental sport and it seems Kyrgios couldn’t handle the attention at such a young age as he looks to mature in that regard as he gets older.
Although Kyrgios doesn’t agree with the media obligations, he understands it’s an important part of the job, “Personally, I’m not really a fan and I don’t really like it,” Kyrgios admitted.
“But I understand in today’s society it’s an important thing. It’s how people read about the game, attract new fans, make money, all that type of stuff. So I completely understand why it’s necessary.
“For me, I just go in and try to answer the questions as honest as possible. That’s what I’ve done for practically my whole career and I’m happy with the way I go in there and try to be myself.”
Next for Kyrgios is Norbert Gombos in the quarter-finals of the Citi Open, which takes place at around about 9pm local time.