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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 23, 2016

Nick Kyrgios

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

T. BERDYCH/N, Kyrgios

6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. We couldn't hear from the monitors, but what exactly was happening? Was there actual music playing?
NICK KYRGIOS: Unless I'm hearing things. Yeah, I thought there was music playing. Did anyone else hear it in here?

Q. I could hear it.
NICK KYRGIOS: Great. So there you go.

Q. Did it come from --
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't know where it came from. The ref was telling me he couldn't hear it. I could blatantly hear it. So unless tennis, you can start playing tennis when there's music in the background, that's a new rule. They need to add it to the rule book.

Q. Maybe it came from the MCG.
NICK KYRGIOS: Didn't sound that loud. If it was, then it's my bad. But it suddenly stopped at change of ends.

Q. Did it distract you from playing your own game?
NICK KYRGIOS: Not necessarily. It was just strange. He was telling me he couldn't hear it. I don't know, I just thought he might have used the microphone to say, Could you quiet it down. I don't know. I've never had it happen to me before.

Q. He did clearly give you the option of stopping if you wanted to.
NICK KYRGIOS: He said that, but he didn't tell the crowd to quieten down if it was coming from the crowd, which I think is a fair thing to do if you're in the chair.

Q. How would you assess that match, coming back in the third set?
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't think I played too bad. I didn't serve my best. But I thought I competed as well as I could. I was trying to make as many balls as I could.

I thought he served really well at crucial times. But he was so aggressive from the start till the finish. I didn't really feel like I had enough rhythm at any time in the match. I was sort of just trying to make balls, trying to serve my way out of trouble.

I didn't have much rhythm. I think that's what he does so well. He plays with his own pace on his service games. Doesn't give you much time at all. He really puts his foot on the accelerator. I think that was pretty tough to play.

Q. You had a really good set in the third. Why didn't you manage to sustain it, do you think?
NICK KYRGIOS: I mean, I thought he just steadied the ship in the fourth. The third, I got an early break, kept momentum, the crowd started getting into it. That's tough. That's why I think playing at home is such an advantage.

That's why he's a top player, he steadies the ship, he gets back to it and takes his time, starts serving at a high level again and starts making clutch shots at crucial times.

Q. Did he have the momentum, the edge there?
NICK KYRGIOS: I thought if I grabbed the fourth, I would win the fifth. I felt fine physically. But I didn't take it there, so it's not really a conversation to have.

Q. It was great entertainment out there. The more dour guy won. Do you ever think you're going to have to adjust the balance between the entertainment value to get slightly better results?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I thought I put a lot of balls in the court when I needed to. I definitely hit a couple good shots. I thought they were on at the time. Every time I went for a shot, I was in a tough position or something.

I'm not really too sure. I guess I have to get fitter and stronger to beat guys like that.

Q. You've been working with Lleyton Hewitt recently. How do you think he's helped the mental side of your game? Out there you can see you saying, Well played, those sorts of things. Has that been helping you?
NICK KYRGIOS: To be honest, I've been doing that my whole life. I've been calling others on their good shots. That's never changed.

Q. You took a tumble in the first set, went over on your ankle. Any effect for a couple of games there?
NICK KYRGIOS: No. I just went over it quickly. It was pretty painful for like a point, but then it sort of eased off. I was pretty happy with that. Didn't hinder my performance at all.

Q. Seeing Lleyton bow out last night, were you here or watching it on TV?
NICK KYRGIOS: I was in my room, yeah. I watched towards the end of it, yeah.

Q. Is that motivational to you? Do you want to push on and take over his mantle?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I would love to. I thought it was really sad seeing him go. Seeing his family come on the court was pretty emotional.

Yeah, for me, I wasn't tearing up, but I obviously felt pretty sad. I'm doing everything I can to try to take over for what he's left. But I'm a bit far away now. There's a little work to do.

Q. Quite a different atmosphere in Rod Laver compared to Hisense. Did it take you a while to figure out how to connect with everyone in there, get the crowd behind you?
NICK KYRGIOS: Not so much. I played there a couple times. I played three matches there. I'm used to it now. I didn't come out slow. I thought he was straight from the get-go so aggressive and maybe caught me off guard a little bit.

Q. Any update on your coaching situation? What's your plan there going forward this year?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I haven't really thought too much about it. I'm not really looking. I am but I'm not. I think I'm pretty content at the moment.

Q. Looking forward to mixed?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I'm really looking forward to mixed. Probably keeping me in the best mood.

Q. Seemed like you were having fun in the third set. How much fun were you having?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I was having a lot of fun actually. I think from the start, it just has to be like that. I maybe walked out there too serious. Maybe walked out there trying to focus too much on what I had to do. I probably should just go out there and try to enjoy myself, have fun, not take it so seriously, probably like the third set.

Q. Do you need something to rile you up to get you playing like you played in the third?
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't really know what happened. It just happened. I relaxed. I wasn't taking it so seriously. I sort of just let it happen. Didn't force it.

Q. Daria reaching the fourth round, your thoughts?
NICK KYRGIOS: Pretty amazing. She's a new Aussie. I always love seeing other Aussies doing well. Especially at the home Grand Slam, she's going to be over the moon with that. She's playing high-level tennis. I think she's going to go far. She competes really, really well.

Q. What is your program from here on in?
NICK KYRGIOS: Don't remind me.

I actually don't know. I have mixed tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that. Who knows.

Q. You don't have any tournaments?
NICK KYRGIOS: I do, but... yeah.

Q. That forehand you smacked when he was serving in the third set, is that one of the best shots you ever hit?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, that was pretty cool. I actually practiced that a fair bit in practice. When I pull one of those off, it's a good feeling.

Q. I think you threw a ball at the spider cam today. Does it bother you when it comes down on you?
NICK KYRGIOS: Not really. I just felt like doing it.

Q. Do you come out of these big tournaments and feel like you want to have a break from tennis?
NICK KYRGIOS: Not a break. I'm so disappointed, like I put so much work in, and I just feel like I let a lot of people down.

Q. What were you saying to the umpire at the end?
NICK KYRGIOS: Nothing.

Q. Sounded like you said some words about his refereeing of the match, from what people heard.
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I just told him what I thought. I don't think he controlled the match well. He let a guy throw a ball back into play, which for me is pretty unprofessional. As I said previously, you know, music playing during points. First time I've ever seen it happen.

Q. Why do you feel you've let a lot of people down? Everyone has to lose sometime.
NICK KYRGIOS: Djokovic doesn't lose (smiling). Is that not good enough?

Q. Why have you let people down?
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't know. I was expecting a bit more out of myself. I don't know. I was expecting like another real deep run. I put a lot of work in. It's pretty heartbreaking.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your training. You seem to be doing some perhaps unorthodox approaches to your training. Like the net with six guys.
NICK KYRGIOS: That's not training. That's a bit of fun. Those are the guys I grew up with, played a lot. They're always supporting me. Always been good friends, always been there when I've been down. Those guys, I like to keep involved whenever I can. If they're hitting partners or being around this experience, I know for them it means a lot. Got to keep them involved.

Q. It is important to be playing these top-10 guys so you're getting in the zone?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, for sure. This is why I play the game. I was excited once I beat Cuevas. I knew I was playing Tomas. We played a couple times IPTL. It was tough. I knew I would have to play some of my best tennis to win. I knew I wasn't the favorite, but I definitely felt like I should have won. I just put a lot of pressure on myself.

It's a good experience as well. I know what I have to do now to get better.

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