Nick Kyrgios On Reaching Wimbledon Final: - ‘I’m A Reckless Ball Of Energy’ - UBITENNIS
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Nick Kyrgios On Reaching Wimbledon Final: – ‘I’m A Reckless Ball Of Energy’

The tennis star has also hit back at some former Australian tennis greats who have criticised him in the past.

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Nick Kyrgios (AUS) - Credit: AELTC/Jonathan Nackstrand

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios said he had a ‘shocking’ night of sleep after learning he has made it through to his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.

 

The world No.40 is through to the title match after Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw from the competition on Thursday evening due to a tear in his abdomen. Kyrgios is playing in his 30th major tournament and until now he had never gone beyond the quarter-final stage. He has now become the first male player from his country to reach the final at The All England club since Mark Philippoussis in 2003.

“As a competitor, I really wanted to play that match. It was something that as soon as I beat (Cristian) Garin, Rafa was a high possibility, someone I’ve had so many good battles with before,” Kyrgios said on Friday.
“We’ve both taken a win against each other at this tournament. I did want to see how the third chapter was going to go.’
“Obviously you never want to see someone like that, so important to the sport, go down with an injury like that. “

Kyrgios can be a divisive figure in the sport due to his at times controversial antics such as arguing with match officials or committing code violations. At his lowest, he was issued with a provisional suspension from the Tour. However, few doubted his talents on the Tour. He is a player who has recorded 25 wins over top 10 players in his career, including every member of the Big Three.

Admitting that he never saw himself reaching a Grand Slam final, he is finding it hard to process what has happened this week.

“I had a shocking sleep last night. I probably got an hour’s sleep just with everything, like the excitement. I had so much anxiety, I was already feeling so nervous, and I don’t feel nervous usually.” He revealed.
“I feel like I’m just a reckless ball of energy right now. I just want to go out on the practice court now and hit some tennis balls and just talk. I want the final to come already.”

In total Kyrgios has three days between playing matches heading into the final as a result of his semi-final walkover. Some would argue that this benefits him heading into Sunday as in theory he should be feeling fresher on the court. Although there are also drawbacks to situations such as these.

“Obviously at a Grand Slam, you want to have those matches. I think in a way the competitive juices, you want to have those going, the adrenaline. That’s just something that I’m going to have to go into the final without that semifinal kind of experience.”

image – twitter.com/wimbledon

The unprecedented journey this week for Kyrgios comes in what is only his eighth tournament of the season. Unlike most players on the Tour, the former top 20 player has openly said he is not prepared to travel for more than four months. Saying he likes to spend time with his family.

As for his route to the final, Kyrgios believed it wouldn’t have been possible without the valuable lessons he learned during this year’s Australian Open doubles tournament where he won the title with Thanasi Kokkinakis.

“I think in Melbourne I realized that. Even at a doubles Grand Slam you do need to just get your stuff done quick and clinical, then just rest.” He explains.
“I felt like earlier in my career, I didn’t realize that these days off and practice are so crucial.”

Now the limelight in Kyrgios’ native Australia will be back on him and for all the right reasons too. Should he win the men’s title, he would become only the third from his country to do so in the Open Era after Rod Laver and John Newcome.

Although being compared to other former greats of the sport is something that leaves him with mixed emotions due to what they have said about him in the past. For example, two-time Wimbledon finalist Pat Cash accused Kyrgios of cheating, abuse and dragging tennis down to new depths following his tense meeting with Stefanos Tsitsipas earlier in the tournament. Cash made his remarks whilst speaking to BBC radio.

The only exception he makes to the critics is his Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt who he says respects him. The two had a hitting session for an hour and a half before Wimbledon started.

“The greats of Australian tennis, they haven’t always been the nicest to me personally. They haven’t always been supportive,” Kyrgios stated. “They haven’t been supportive these two weeks. So it’s hard for me to kind of read things that they say about me.’
“The kind of only great that’s ever been supportive of me the whole time has been Lleyton Hewitt. He kind of knows that I kind of do my own thing. I’m definitely the outcast of the Australian players.”

It isn’t just former Australian players who have criticized Kyrgios. An opinion piece published by The Telegraph said his run to the final was Wimbledon’s ‘worst nightmare.’ A remark made in light of the controversial behavior, as well as the recent revelation that the tennis star will go to court next month on assault charges involving his former girlfriend.

“I just try to enjoy the ride. If that’s what they want to write, I guess that’s what they want to write. I can only control what I do. I’m just going to go out there and enjoy the moment. Since I was born, only eight people have ever won this title. I’m just going to give it my best shot,” he concludes.

Kyrgios will play either Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie in the final.

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Alexander Zverev Deserves More Respect According To Boris Becker

According to Boris Becker, Alexander Zverev deserves more respect from tennis journalists.

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Alexander Zverev (@WeAreTennis - Twitter)

Boris Becker has claimed that Alexander Zverev deserves more respect despite Zverev failing to live up to his potential at Grand Slams.

 

Zverev has only reached one Grand Slam final in his career despite being a regular inside the world’s top ten as well as performing at regular ATP events.

This season Zverev played a limited schedule after recovering from an ankle injury but still managed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

However most critics have been loud when judging Zverev’s career as it was looking likely that he would be a regular Grand Slam champion.

The German has failed to live up to expectations but former Grand Slam champion Boris Becker believes Zverev deserves more respect.

Speaking to Eurosport Becker also said that Zverev’s father being the coach is a more than successful approach when it comes to the former US Open finalist’s career, “In my opinion, he doesn’t get enough respect from the tennis experts internationally,” Becker explained.

“They’re all talking about the young three or four, but don’t give Zverev, Medvedev or Rublev enough respect. He’s playing with his fist in his pocket a little bit, wants everyone show that he is not a thing of the past, but that his best time is yet to come.

“Surely his father knows best what is good for his son, but if you look into the box at the competition, you can also see changes.”

Becker has followed Zverev for most of his career so knows that the best is yet to come from the German.

Alexander Zverev will look to prove himself next season when he starts his 2024 season when he represents Germany at the United Cup.

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Juan Carlos Ferrero Analyses Key Areas For Carlos Alcaraz’s Development

Juan Carlos Ferrero has outlined the next steps in Carlos Alcaraz’s development.

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(@tennisnewsbrazil - Twitter)

Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero has analysed the key areas for the Spaniard’s development heading into the 2024 season.

 

The former world number one’s season has come to an end after a successful year which saw him win the Wimbledon title as well as winning two Masters 1000 titles.

Alcaraz capped off an incredible season by reaching the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

However there is a long way for the Spaniard to go if he wants to consistently go toe-to-toe with Novak Djokovic.

Speaking to Marca Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero spoke about the Spaniard’s development and said that Alcaraz is too emotional, “Be more regular in games, not open doors. Sometimes there are mistakes and it is something that we have to improve a lot,” Ferrero commented.

“Although it is true that he opens doors, he always competes well and at the highest level. He knows it, the other day he already said that Novak doesn’t give you one. He has to improve his decision making and he will achieve that with experience. Carlos is very emotional and that sometimes helps him and other times not so much.”

It’s clear Alcaraz’s high-quality is there but to consistently do it against Djokovic is another task altogether as the Spaniard looks to go from strength-to strength next season.

One area that is clearly a priority for Alcaraz is physical conditioning especially considering what happened against Djokovic at Roland Garros earlier in the season.

Ferrero said that will be a clear focus heading into 2024 but couldn’t guarantee that Alcaraz will play a tournament before the Australian Open, “Because of the year and the fatigue he has been in, what he needs is rest and disconnecting for 8-10 days with his friends,” Ferrero stated.

“From there, the thinking must go back to working really hard, strong and well to start very strongly in Australia. One can never be sure of that. Sometimes you play a tournament and it doesn’t go well, you left home too early. There are many ways of thinking.

“This year we haven’t played Australia and he finishes number two. That means there is no urgency to play a tournament early. Carlos is a player who enters competition quickly, you don’t usually see him without rhythm.

“Although it is true that he becomes more dangerous from the round of 16, from the quarter-finals. I am confident that the two exhibition matches and the training sessions will help us play a good tournament.”

Alcaraz will be looking to play the Australian Open which starts on the 15th of January after the Spaniard missed last year’s tournament due to a leg injury.

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Australian Open Chief Confident Nadal Will Play But Kyrgios’ Participation Uncertain

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Nadal RG 2022 by Night (foto @RolandGarros)

The tournament director of the Australian Open says he is ‘certain’ that Rafael Nadal will play at the Grand Slam even though the Spaniard has yet to outline his comeback plans. 

 

Craig Tiley told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday he hopes to receive some clarity over Nadal’s intentions in the next couple of weeks but is confident he will play. However, the tennis official had previously claimed in October that the former world No.1 had already committed to play in the event before his team denied that statement.  

Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, hasn’t played a Tour match since his second round defeat at the Australian Open in January due to a hip injury. He was originally expecting to take an eight-week break but the recovery didn’t go to plan and he ended up having surgery. In May he confirmed that he will take an extended break from the sport to heal his body and admitted that retirement next year is a possibility.

“Rafa has been training, I follow him closely, probably every day because he’s a massive drawcard for us,” the Reuters News Agency quoted Tiley as saying. 
“He wants to play, he’s obviously planning on playing. It all depends on how he pulls up.
“Hopefully in the next week or the next two weeks, we get some specific confirmation of that. I’m certain Rafa will be here because he’s not going to want to miss the opportunity to repeat what he did a couple of years ago.”

Earlier this month Nadal confirmed that he intends to return to the Tour but admits that he will continue to experience a degree of pain. Although he has yet to give any information about which tournament he will begin his comeback at. The 2024 season begins during the first week of January.

“I’m well, training, and happy. I’m at a good stage of my life,” atptour.com quoted Nadal as telling reporters in Barcelona.
“Until now I didn’t know if I would play tennis again someday, and now I genuinely believe I will. I’m still not ready to say when, but I’m able to train increasingly longer, and the progress is good.’

Will Kyrgios play?

Another player Tiley is eager to welcome back is home player and former Wimbledon Finalist Nick Kyrgios who has only played one Tour-level match this season due to injury. He underwent knee surgery in January and then tore a ligament in his wrist during the summer. As a result, the Australian currently doesn’t have an ATP ranking due to his inactivity. 

“We have spoken to Nick, and he obviously wants to do the best he possibly can to give him the best chance to play in January,” Tiley said of Kyrgios.
“Whether he’s playing, whether he’s doing something else, Nick will be here in January and to get him to play will be great. But we’ve got to take it as it comes and he’s got to make sure he takes care of his health …” 

Kyrgios recently worked as an analyst for the Tennis Channel during this year’s ATP Finals in Turin and gave a brief update on his ongoing recovery during a segment. 

“After last year, I had such a great year, and I’m so hungry to get back out there,” the 2022 Wimbledon finalist commented.
“So I’m doing everything I can to get back out there. Obviously, you know how injuries are every day, just doing the rehab, doing the gym work.”

The Australian Open will begin on Sunday 14th January. Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are the defending champions. 

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