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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2015

Nick Kyrgios

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

A. MURRAY/N. Kyrgios
6-3, 7-6, 6-3
An interview with:
NICK KYRGIOS

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Tough night. How did you see it?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, it was a really good experience. That was my first Aussie Open Grand Slam match playing on Rod Laver, so that was really cool. But he was way too good for me tonight. There are some things I can take from that match and get better at. Yeah, he was just way too good for me.

Q. How do you like his chances?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I said to him at the net, This is your time; go get him. I think he's got a really good chance of winning the whole thing.

Q. What did he say to you?
NICK KYRGIOS: Good tournament. Good luck for the rest of the year. We've got a pretty good relationship. We've talked about it on Twitter. He's been a guy that's always been supporting me, so...

Q. You said there were heaps of things you could improve on. What specifically do you think they are?
NICK KYRGIOS: I was hurting out there, so physicality is a big one. My mentality, I thought I had a couple dips out there. I need to stay consistent. But just in general, the forehand return, I didn't think I was getting on his serves tonight. I thought he served really well. A lot of variety. I thought if I could get that second set it's a totally different match, but, you know, he won the second set and he was too good.

Q. And also it sounded like you said something about your back being cooked midway through the third set. Was that right?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah.

Q. So given that, how proud are you of how far you've come?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, really proud actually. You know, two weeks ago I wasn't even sure I'd be playing the event. It just been a massive couple of weeks just trying to get fit. I'm actually happy. I wanted to win tonight, but having said that, it's been a massive couple of weeks. I am just happy that was I was able to compete. Obviously quarterfinals isn't too bad either.

Q. What's next for you in terms of tournaments and preparation?
NICK KYRGIOS: Back home and obviously get the back right. Obviously rehab it until it's not giving me strife anymore. I'm scheduled in Marseille, Dubai, and then we'll see after that.

Q. Anything that sticks out here in the past 10 days or so?
NICK KYRGIOS: Geez, it's just been a rollercoaster the last couple days. Not getting much sleep obviously. It's been a lot of fun, but at the same it's been pretty stressful. But, you know, I've enjoyed it. I'm just happy, you know, that I got as far as I did.

Q. How are you going to look back at this fortnight?
NICK KYRGIOS: A really good experience. I mean, quarterfinals of Australian Open my second time around. Obviously that match against Seppi is one of my favorite matches I ever played. There's a lot of experience I can draw on when I come here next year.

Q. We were worried when your racquet broke in the tiebreak you might get a point penalty for that.
NICK KYRGIOS: Yes, I was worried. Tried to play it down. I was like, How did it even break? I'm sure he was thinking that, too.

Q. Andy said afterwards that he urged the crowd not to put too much pressure on you too soon. Have you felt a lot of pressure?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, but, you know, I thought I dealt with it really well this week. It's another Grand Slam. I just enjoyed it. That's why I play the game, to play these types of tournaments. Yeah, it's okay. It's okay.

Q. This takes you to mid-30s, about 35. Do you have any aims between now and the end of the year where you might like to be?
NICK KYRGIOS: No, I wouldn't put a number on it. I think one of my goals is just to stay healthy. I just want to stay on the court and obviously do what I love to do out there: play. I think that's my main goal with me and my team, keep me on the court for as long as possible this year.

Q. At Wimbledon you said the fitness was the real thing that was the difference between being able to go on or not. Six months down the track, is the fitness still the worry?
NICK KYRGIOS: I played two five-setters this week. To be honest, I pulled up really well from both of them. That's a massive positive. I only played one five-setter at Wimbledon. I was struggling a lot in the fifth set. I can draw upon that. Obviously it's on hard court so there are more rallies. There's a lot of positives coming out of that. I'm still growing into my body. I've still got a little bit of time. Obviously after today, I need to get back to work.

Q. Was it a positive as well the way you responded in the second set?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I thought I responded well in the second set. I raised my intensity at the start of the second set. I knew I just had to hang on to my serve. He was really comfortable on my serve. I definitely had my chance in the tiebreak, you know, 5-4 serving. I mean, if I take that, yeah, it's a different match.

Q. What was the biggest thing you took away from what those top four or five guys do better than the rest?
NICK KYRGIOS: They all have their positives. Murray, it's incredible how many balls he gets back into play. There were points I'd be winning five times over, he'd be making me play an extra ball. Those guys are unbelievable athletes. They're another level. I think that's what stands out most.

Q. Andy said on court we should back off and let you mature and the like. How have you viewed the attention you've got? Are we being hypercritical in Australia for this, or did you expect that given you're the main game?
NICK KYRGIOS: Just listen to Andy, I guess. He's pretty successful.

Q. How did you find the crowd tonight? Obviously different to Hisense. Did you feel the support?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I definitely felt support. The crowd was going nuts in the second set and obviously when I broke back in the third. But, yeah, I mean, I really wasn't noticing it too much. I was trying to stay focused. It's a massive arena. You don't really notice how many people are in there. It's an awesome court obviously. It's one of the best courts in the world, so, yeah.

Q. Was it also adjusting to playing there for the first time in your fifth match when obviously Andy played many matches on that court?
NICK KYRGIOS: I played my junior final there a couple years ago. It was nowhere near that capacity. There were only a couple people watching the juniors. Yeah, it was a new experience. Took me a while to get used to my surroundings the first couple games. Second set I thought I was playing at a really high level. Didn't get any chance to rattle him, but that's why he's a top player. He takes his chances. Too good.

Q. When you come back here next year, where would you like to be?
NICK KYRGIOS: Melbourne.

Q. Top 20 or 30 within your reach?
NICK KYRGIOS: I think so. Yeah, I think if I stay healthy, keep enjoying it, then I think it's possible.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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