Winning Wimbledon Would Have Been Bad For My Motivation, Says Nick kyrgios - UBITENNIS
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Winning Wimbledon Would Have Been Bad For My Motivation, Says Nick kyrgios

The Australian also explains why he doesn’t think Novak Djokovic is the hardest player he has ever played.

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image via twitter.com/wimbledon

After achieving his best-ever result at a Grand Slam event, Nick Kyrgios admits he is in some ways relieved that he didn’t triumph at Wimbledon this year.

 

The world no.40 held a one-set lead against top seed Novak Djokovic before going on to lose in four. Kyrgios produced a strong service performance throughout the final but admits that his opponent always had the upper hand when it came to playing the clutch moments. During his on-court interview at SW19, he described the 21-time major winner as a ‘god.’

Kyrgios later admitted during his press conference that not winning the title was in some ways a blessing in disguise for him. Explaining that he would have found it tougher to be motivated to play lower-level events after winning a major. Unlike his peers, he only travels on the Tour for up to four months a year due to wanting to be home with his friends and family.

“I feel like if I had won today, I would have struggled with motivation,” he said. “I’ve been told my entire life that winning Wimbledon is the ultimate achievement.’
“It’s taken me 10 years, almost 10 years in my career to finally get to the point of playing for a Grand Slam and coming up short.
“I feel like if I had won that Grand Slam, I think I would have lacked a bit of motivation, to be honest. Coming back for other tournaments, like 250s and stuff, I would have really struggled.’

At Wimbledon, Kyrgios has scored wins over fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, Brandon Nakashima and Cristian Garin. He was set to play Rafael Nadal in the last four but the Spaniard was forced to retire due to injury.

“I think not playing the semifinals may have done me a bit of a disservice because I was just thinking about it (playing the final) all the time,” he said.
“I thought I handled myself well today. I came out there and I did what I had to do tactically to give myself a chance. I just came up short, and I’m happy with that.”

A bromance has blossomed between Kyrgios and Djokovic in recent months which was something that at one stage would seem impossible. The two were once engaged in a verbal tirade with them previously criticizing each other. Although their relationship took a turn in January when Kyrgios stood up for Djokovic amid the fallout over his visa to play in Australia.

Whilst the two are now on good terms, Kyrgios is still one who is not afraid to speak his mind. Saying that he believes Djokovic is not the hardest player he has ever faced on the Tour. He gives that honor to Roger Federer.

“He (Djokovic) doesn’t make you feel as bad as Federer does at times. I think Federer can make you feel really bad. He makes you want to leave the court. He can make things seem really quick. The court is really small.” Kyrgios explains
“Where Nadal and Djokovic, they allow you to play a little bit from the back. If you’re not playing great, you struggle. But Federer can really take it to you and get you off the court real quick.”

Kyrgios had beaten the Serbian twice before in straight sets during 2017.

The question now is what does the future have in store for one of the sport’s most unpredictable players?

“I feel like my fire’s been lit this whole year. I’ve met a lot of amazing people this year who have just given me extra motivation,” Kyrgios said.
“To find people that finally have my back, that I just love being around, and they just want to push me to be a better person and to be a better tennis player, they realize that I’m immensely talented and I have a lot of, I feel like, a lot more to do in this sport.”

This year’s Wimbledon was Kyrgios’ 30th appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam.

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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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