'There are some question marks' - Australia's Nick Kyrgios admits he's not fully fit ahead of Wimbledon
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Published 02/07/2023 at 14:01 GMT+1
Nick Kyrgios' return from a frustrating knee injury will be put to the test on Monday when he faces David Goffin at Wimbledon, and he admits that he is not yet fully fit. Following surgery in January, Kyrgios has played just once. That match, a defeat to Wu Yibing in Stuttgart last month, did not bode well for the Australian. Despite that, Kyrgios says he's confident he can make another deep run.
Kyrgios suffers early exit to Wu in Stuttgart
Video credit: SNTV
Nick Kyrgios admits that he is not yet fully fit ahead of his return to Wimbledon, one year after reaching the final.
The No. 30 seed opens his SW19 campaign against wild card David Goffin in the first round on Monday.
But since undergoing knee surgery in January, the Australian has played just one Tour-level match.
That match, a defeat to Wu Yibing in Stuttgart in June, was not particularly auspicious.
Kyrgios was clearly still feeling his knee and unable to deliver his usual booming serves at the German event.
Speaking to the press on Sunday, Kyrgios insisted that, while he is not at peak fitness, he remains confident that he can make an impact in South London again.
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Alcaraz backs Kyrgios to challenge Djokovic at Wimbledon
Video credit: SNTV
"I still think there are some question marks. Obviously five-set tennis is a completely different beast altogether," Kyrgios said.
"I look at my preparations last year coming in, I probably had the most ideal preparation possible. It couldn't be any different this year.
"Again, I'm not going to discredit the work I've put in for the past six months just trying to maintain my fitness, get back on court. I've been hitting with some really good players this week and my body is feeling okay.
"I'm going to take it one day at a time. I'm not going to look forward and put unfair expectations on myself. I'm just going to try to do everything I can, prepare, go out there and play some good tennis.”
Kyrgios, often criticised for his atypical attitude towards the sport, even to the extent that his commitment is questioned, insisted that he has done everything he can.
He continued: "I've been really disciplined throughout that time. I barely missed any sort of part of the process. I've been working really hard. I've been trying to do everything possible. I feel probably as good as I could feel at the moment. Obviously my body was just crying out for some sort of rest. I needed to do what I had to do. It’s been brutal. It’s been hard."
Despite the difficulties that he has faced, Kyrgios is not lacking self belief.
"I'm extremely confident. I've never been a player that needs a lot of matches before playing a Slam," he said.
"I've always been kind of on the side of not playing too much. But what I've achieved in my career never leaves. It never leaves you. Last year, it wasn't that long ago really. I feel like I'm still serving as good as ever. I'm still able to beat a lot of people on the court. I've just got to take it day by day.”
Compatriot Alex de Minaur was optimistic, but less confident about Kyrgios' hopes in London.
He said: "Obviously he hasn’t had the ideal preparation coming in. The body is not holding up. I think we’re all hoping that he’s been able to take some time off to be able to perform here, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see."
Kyrgios enjoyed a career season last year, reaching his first major final at the All England Club and reclaiming his position as Australia's top-ranked player.
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Stream daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm UK time, as well as the two singles finals live on July 15 and 16, on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
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