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U.S. OPEN

September 1, 2017

Kyle Edmund

New York, NY, USA

D. SHAPOVALOV/K. Edmund

3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 1-0 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you tell us about your injury and what it is and how you did it.
KYLE EDMUND: It's just -- I guess it's like an upper thoracic back problem. So, yeah, it just got very sore and very tight and almost like locked up a bit. I didn't feel like I could rotate properly.

Yeah, it's just obviously hitting in tennis, you need a good rotation. It just seized up very quickly. It was pretty sore now just coming off the court. Now everything has cooled down so it's very stiff now.

Q. When did it come on?
KYLE EDMUND: Halfway through the third, basically.

Q. Just before you called the trainer?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah. The game before I got the trainer, that's when it came on.

Q. Denis said he heard you grunt on the second serve. Was that when it happened?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, maybe. I can't recall. It was in that game basically when I got the trainer.

Q. Do you think it's how much tennis you played or is that completely unrelated?
KYLE EDMUND: I could have put money I was going to asked that (smiling). Maybe, but it's all ifs, buts, maybes, isn't it? There is no crystal ball. Not all injuries are down to fatigue. Some just happen when you're fresh, as well.

It possibly might have been down to a lot of tennis, but I can't say if it was or not, because I have been feeling fine. Yeah, just tough one, really.

Q. Have you ever had anything in that sort of area before?
KYLE EDMUND: Not this area. I have had some stiff back problems in the past, but it's been more sort of around the rib cage area where the ribs -- it's all physio talk, but where the ribs catch the nerves and stuff like that. This is more like upper thoracic.

Q. Could it be just something stupid like you slept a bit strange last night?
KYLE EDMUND: Possibly. It is something athletes have to deal with. Lots of different hotels, different pillows. It sounds stupid, but sometimes it can make a difference if you sleep funny, you know, you're constantly changing beds. But we do it all the year, and so sometimes your body adapts.

It might be, but, you know, it's tough to say really what it is. It might have -- what's the word? Contribution to it. But at the same time, it might just be it's tight and sometimes it's had enough, and it goes into spasm, basically.

Q. Emotional response, was part of that response because not only what happened in that match but because what's been happening in the bottom half of the draw and the opportunity is really opening up?
KYLE EDMUND: What's the -- you said, the response?

Q. An emotional moment for you.
KYLE EDMUND: Oh, at the end, yeah.

Q. Was that partly also because of...
KYLE EDMUND: It wasn't the draw. It's just the fact that it was such a horrible way to go out, isn't it, really? It's a tough thing to go on a center court, like, biggest court in the world and just feel a bit helpless, really. What do I do? Like do you carry on to the end? But you just go through the emotions and it's a bit of a sorry state.

You know, you don't want to pull out straightaway. You want to see guys are going to get better, but also, I just thought, well, am I going to win two more sets like this? And I was, like, I knew that I wasn't going to win two more sets feeling like that.

Q. Where did you feel you were in terms of the match before that happened?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, I started pretty well. I thought it was a good match, both in terms of whoever got sort of the first striking, who was dictating most of the points would get in the upper hand in the games and stuff.

It was obviously a pretty balanced match. He came back in the second, but we were 3-All in the third, I guess, so it was tough to really know. I guess it was pretty balanced, but it was tough to know how it was going to go.

But as soon as I started to feel this, my thoughts and attention just went straight to that.

Q. You mentioned sleeping in different beds in hotels. Have you ever thought of bringing your own pillow?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, I mean, sometimes you get advised that. I personally don't just because I've always been okay with the beds and the pillows. You just get on with it.

But, yeah, some people have said that. I know some people do it. I just don't do it, because you think it will be okay. But, yeah.

Q. You think you might in the future?
KYLE EDMUND: Maybe. I mean, I have been -- you know, I've been living away from home since I was 13 and sleeping in hotels and it's just the nature of it, and I have never brought my pillow. So maybe I can.

But that might not even be the case, down to the pillow that I've got a bad back. It's tough to really know.

Q. How would you describe your opponent today and his performance?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, good. I mean, I thought it was -- we were playing some good tennis. For me personally, even I got the break, I was still missing a little bit. Then I found my sort of balance, like, relaxed into the surroundings better.

I thought he did it, as well. Like, he was very balanced on court with the pace of everything, the surroundings.

Yeah, I thought it was both for us to take, basically, who's going to play the key points better. I don't think it was one-sided. It was very much -- we were very much trying to battle for the position in the match and trying to get an upper hand.

But he was obviously playing well, hitting good shots. I thought I was playing well, being aggressive and stuff when I needed to.

So, yeah, just tough to really evaluate the match like that and my opponent when something like this has happened. It's more of you're feeling sorry for yourself more than anything, a sorry situation.

Q. What are his biggest strengths?
KYLE EDMUND: Shots-wise?

Q. Everything.
KYLE EDMUND: Well, he's obviously got a very good serve, more because of the lefty, so it's different angles coming at you. He's obviously got -- he likes to take it on, basically. With that, you get some errors. Sometimes he gave you errors. Obviously he's going to hit winners.

Yeah, I mean, basically the match panned out how I thought it would in terms of game styles. No one is going to do anything different. Even though you know what's coming, it doesn't mean you're going to win the points.

Sometimes you know game styles, but you still have to deal with them. I thought it was evenly matched up until that point, and he's obviously feeling good. He's got a great opportunity now in the fourth round.

Q. What did the trainer say to you? Did you take anything or did he give you any hope that...
KYLE EDMUND: I didn't take anything in the match, no. Just I have taken some painkillers now just to try and settle it down. I didn't take anything during the match, because sometimes you know if something might help and something doesn't, and I just thought painkiller is not going to help this. It takes time to obviously work.

Q. I know it's a disappointing end to the North American hard court season, but overall you must be pretty pleased with it?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, it's been a long trip. I'll go home and obviously sort this out first, and then train and obviously go over to Asia. It's been a good, long trip, especially I was very keen to, you know, get playing matches and get out there and be competitive after the British summer, and I think that's what's happened. It sort of worked out.

Looking back on it, I could say, yeah, I'm reasonably happy with the trip, started out well in Atlanta, and I was playing well throughout. Just had some tough three-set losses in the middle, won a round in Washington, tough loss to Dimitrov.

Ferrer, I had a good chance a break up in the third. And then I was disappointed, not with the result but just more the way I played. And then obviously since then I won a bunch.

But, you know, I was always working, felt I was close. After that, won a bunch of matches and even came here and had a bunch of wins.

So I was disappointed. I was in a good place, playing well, and then having to end like this. But overall, you could say I had some good wins on this trip and even my losses, they were tough matches. They weren't easy, you know, straight sets or three sets, so yeah.

Q. You had good balance before the injury, being solid. Do you agree with that? Do you think Hilts is someone you might be keen to working with?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, I definitely agree that my -- I definitely felt like I struck a better balance of work in the points and stuff. It's something -- you know, it was something I was aware of that when I do that well, I'm a better player rather than a little bit up and down when my balance isn't good.

So, yeah, that worked well. I think I got better and better as matches came in the trip. Just struck a bit of balance. Also playing matches that you find things a bit easier, don't think so much.

So, yeah, I was pleased with the way I was playing, working the points, being smart with my shot selection. I've really enjoyed it with Hilts. So, yeah, basically just after the summer we just -- I didn't want to come on this trip coachless, so I know Hilts well from a young age and he was keen to help me. I said, Would you come and help me on this trip? It's a good chunk of time to really get stuck in.

It's been really good. I felt good on the court and off the court. Just kept things very simple. So, yeah, we'll definitely sit down and chat after this match.

I have actually -- one of the things I wanted to do after when I started with Brian was I never really spent time and sort of thought about different options of coaches. I have never really trialed someone. I've always sort of spoken with someone and gone along with it and it went reasonably well.

I was quite keen to trial this time around, and I have never actually worked with a foreign coach. It's always been a British guy. Sometimes different mentalities from other countries can help you. So, yeah, definitely something for the future with Hilts, but in Asia I'm actually already set up with a foreign guy to go to Asia and basically just see how that goes, as well.

But, yeah, definitely --

Q. Who is that?
KYLE EDMUND: A guy called -- I only know him by Fidde (phonetic). I think his name is Frederick someone. He used to work with Soderling, Magnus Norman. I will go with him to Asia. Just try that out. Everyone knows where it's at. There is no -- what's the word? There is no, like, expectations, that we just know this is the time. And Hilts, everyone is on board with it. Definitely, for sure, Hilts is somebody I will definitely think over the long term and keep my mind open, basically, because I have really enjoyed it here.

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