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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2018

Kyle Edmund

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

K. EDMUND/A. Seppi

6-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How did you turn that around? Was it physical? Were you feeling the last match?
KYLE EDMUND: No, just he got off to a good start. Yeah, tennis, sometimes you don't win every point and don't win all the games you want to. Some problem-solving.

I thought he actually came out very well and timed the ball well, dictating probably more points than I was. Was probably doing a little bit more reactive stuff.

Even I didn't feel so much -- still nice to get to the tiebreak. Yeah, it was close, I think it was 7-4.

Then, yeah, it was really good to turn it around, basically. Just stuck in there. Scoreboard pressure. Break him at 6-5. After that really took control.

Q. You seemed to be peppering his backhand a lot. Is that a side you knew he was going to break down?
KYLE EDMUND: No, it's probably actually his best shot, but it's tough to change direction. You know, when the ball is flying, the pace is very quick. You know, there's not too much margin for error. It's tough to change direction going to his forehand, but I think as the match went along I got more confident and comfortable with doing that and switching the plays and change of directions a bit more, controlling the pace of the rallies.

His backhand is probably a little bit more natural and better. But, yeah, it was also the way I played. I build out the backhand side through my forehand, as well.

Q. How did you recover physically from the last match? How are you feeling now?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, I just basically looked after my body, did the best I could. Just tried to sleep lots, eat food, drink lots. Just all the basic stuff, really.

And, yeah, just trying and doing minimal as possible and just save my energy for the match, basically. Yeah, I mean, it was still reasonably physically sort of tough out there, but I did a good job of sort of managing it. Throughout the match I put a pretty good physical level on court.

Q. Do you get any sense from messages back home or whatever that sort of people starting to take more interest in you, or have you had messages of encouragement from home?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah. I mean, not any more messages. I mean, people that I know, friends and close ones and family, they have always texted me, whatever, when I'm playing. It's not anything different. I guess maybe more messages on social media and stuff or whatever, like, that sort of area. There's obviously a bit more attention the more matches you win and et cetera.

Yeah, I think that's obviously encouraging, but in terms of messages from back home, it's generally the same people that message me last year. It's nice to have people close to you and that care about you and want you to do well.

Q. How satisfying is it to be in a Grand Slam quarterfinal? I think now you'll join the Last 8 Club here. But you felt for a while the steady progress, putting in a lot of hard work, but to actually have a result like a quarterfinal in a Grand Slam, to assure it's working out, how does that feel?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, good. I mean, yeah, it's great to be in the quarterfinals. It's certainly, yeah, my best result at a slam. You know, it's not easy to win four matches at a Grand Slam.

Definitely pleased. Shows I'm improving. Also hard work, you know, paying off. You know, like you said, just that constant, just, working at everything, my game, on and off the court. It's good when you get results and it comes together.

You know, it's always good to see when results come, because that's when it really shows it's paying off. You know, you can see you're improving, but nothing, you know, really beats winning and results. If you improve but you carry on losing, it doesn't help anything.

It's good to really get a good result here. I'm playing well, feeling good, you know, want to keep pushing on as well as I can, for sure.

Q. There are only eight men left in the draw. You're one of them. Do you believe you can win a slam?
KYLE EDMUND: You have to believe it. I mean, that's why I'm in the quarterfinals, because every time I step on the court and I'm playing, I believe I'm going to win. So it's no different now. The next opponent, I take it one step at a time. Whoever I'm playing on Tuesday, you know, I have to believe I'm going to win and believe in my game and stuff. That's the way I have approached it, one match at a time, and I continue to do that.

Q. Was there a moment in your career or a match where it made you really believe that you kind of belonged at the top level?
KYLE EDMUND: This tournament or...

Q. No, just in your career as a whole.
KYLE EDMUND: No, I don't know, really, any match. I have known, you know, for a while that my game is a good game and it's dangerous and, you know, it can beat a lot of players. I feel I have a good ability to control matches and the outcome of matches. I just have to learn for myself where I haven't been getting it right to get it right.

I have known that, but like I said earlier, it's always good to get those results. You want black-and-white evidence to say, yeah, I'm playing well and beating these guys. Not just I'm playing well but I'm losing or I'm playing well for a set or two. It's good that you're able to, you know, back it up in many ways.

Yeah, the belief just obviously grows as you get better results and go further in tournaments, naturally.

Q. What has made the difference, though, in the wins you have had, getting over the line against these good players?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, it's not really much difference. I'm the same player, I'm the same person. I'm just obviously maybe doing things better at certain stages, you know, better decisions or whatever.

Yeah, you know, it's not like I have changed my game or anything from, you know, last year or anything. Just, you know, probably whatever. I'm making better decisions in the moments I need to or playing smarter tennis.

So, yeah, it's a very small margin and balance between, you know, winning and losing, basically. It's always been like that.

So, yeah. I have known that, you know, I have not been far off. Now that I'm winning, it's just small, small margins in an elite sport.

Q. All those matches last year where you lost tight three-setters, for example, did you always know somewhere along the line you'd just turn that around or did you do something specifically to help do that?
KYLE EDMUND: No, you just believe it. You have to believe in what you're doing and who you're working with and what you're doing on the court. Yeah, you just got to do your own thing and trust it. If you don't believe in what you're doing, then you need to start doing what makes you happy with what you're doing or change it or start believing it.

Yeah, I have always known that I can, yeah -- for me, it's not the way I'm playing. I don't know. It feels like the questions is like sort of a surprise, I don't know. It's just as you mature and get older, you know, you become better and wiser on court and more experienced and naturally you probably play a bit better.

But, you know, when you're young, you're finding out things and trying to improve. It's only normal.

Q. If it's Dimitrov you play next, how much encouragement would you take from your two previous meetings with him, and particularly that match in Brisbane?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, the match in Brisbane probably because it's similar conditions. It wasn't that long ago. Yeah, it was obviously a very good match. I played well; he played well. I enjoyed being out there in Brisbane.

So yeah, of course, we can take things from that. There is a lot of things I did do well. Maybe a few things I could do better, and I will try and do that if I play him. So, yeah. It's a good reflection moving into this, if I play him, yeah.

Q. You're considered really young compared to the other tour players. This must be the beginning of your long career. There are many players like Hyeon Chung and Kyrgios. Do you think the generation of the players around your age, they're coming to conquer the other, older generations?
KYLE EDMUND: I don't think it's conquer. We're coming through, we're getting older, yeah, guys are getting better, naturally.

Yeah, it's just a natural form. The guys that are older or at the top were once younger and did that same progression. It's just a cycle it goes through. And there is obviously a group of younger guys that are coming through, naturally, and some are already right at the top. Some, you know, have beaten good guys in coming through.

So yeah, over time it will start to filter out and the younger guys will become the older guys. And the young guys -- it's just the natural progression. I think that sort of group, the young group, it's good. It's all competitive. Guys can beat anyone.

You know, it's healthy for the sport, as well, for the ATP to have that coming through. You know, it needs something like that to promote, you know, the sport and stuff, as well. I think, for sure, the men's game is in a healthy position in that sense.

Q. Are you friends with those young players?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, depends who. You know, some guys I speak to more than others. You know, Hyeon doesn't speak too much (smiling). But he's a very nice guy, always very calm and stuff. Chat to him a little bit. Yeah, some you speak to more than others. Yeah, it's like anything. It's a competitive sport, so you're there to win, basically. You're not there to make friends too much.

Q. Who are your friends in the locker room?
KYLE EDMUND: Oh, generally the British guys I get on quite well, a lot of Aussie guys, John Millman, John-Patrick Smith. It was good to have the Skupskis here this week, obviously support Liverpool, so we talk a bit about that. I get on with quite a few of the guys. It's not like we are best buddies. But because we see each other most weeks you generally form a relationship with some of the guys.

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