Nick Kyrgios has been criticised for many things throughout his career but few can fault him for the belief he has in his own game.
The 26-year-old Australian is renowned for his at times fiery persona on the court which has got him in trouble on various occasions. Alongside this he had been hailed as one of the stars of the game who has the ability to reach the top of the men’s game if he fully commits himself. Over the years tennis has been a love-hate experience for Kyrgios but he is far from done with the sport.
“When I’m out there I want to win, I want to put on a show. But at the same time I don’t carry that weight as in like if I lose a tennis match it’s just a tennis match in my eyes now,” Kyrgios told Nine News Australia.
“It’s (my) perspective of things.” He added.
Kyrgios is set to start his 2022 season at the Melbourne Summer Set next week, which has been brought in to replace the Brisbane International after it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be the first tournament he has played in since the US Open. Since January 2020, Kyrgios has played just 10 tournaments with four of those taking place in his home country.
However, the Australian still believes he has what it takes to beat the best in the world as he targets another deep run at the Australian Open. His most successful Grand Slam in terms of main draw matches won (16). Kyrgios reached the quarter-finals back in 2015 and the fourth round on two other occasions.
“No matter who I play I still feel like I can beat anyone,” he states. “I probably played the least amount of tennis out of anyone on Tour the last two years. I still feel confident in my game.”
During the Laver Cup in September Kyrgios openly admitted that he is unsure about how much longer he will continue playing on the Tour despite his relatively young age. In the meantime, he intends to mix playing tennis with his off-court activities. He has his own foundation which aims ‘to create a safe place where underprivileged youth can frequent to play the sport they dream about and take shelter if needed.’ He also hosts the No Boundaries podcast alongside friends Alex Babanine and James Frawley.
“I feel like I am the kind of player who comes with a lot more than just tennis,” he explains. “I feel like I am doing so much other stuff off the court. I’m starting to do more things that I want to enjoy using my platform to help others.’
“People expect me to be this kind of avatar that they kind of painted on me but I don’t really care about that anymore. I want to be myself at all times.”
Kyrgios has been ranked as high as 13th in the world and has won six ATP titles so far in his career.
