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NATURE VALLEY INTERNATIONAL

June 28, 2018

Kyle Edmund

Eastbourne, England

M. KUKUSHKIN/K. Edmund

5-7, 6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What are your thoughts on the match, Kyle?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, just obviously a loss is not nice. Especially when I did sort of reasonably well to get back into it in the first set and actually winning it. Then having some momentum to start the second, break point opportunities.

From then on, it was, you know, frustrating. Then, yeah, obviously 6-1 third set is not what you want.

So yeah, I mean, some good bits. Probably the majority was stuff I really needed to do a lot better in order to win today. But Kukushkin on grass is sort of a tricky opponent the way he hits the ball, obviously quite low and flat.

Yeah, tough at the minute, obviously a bit of a downer. Just sort of regroup for next week.

Q. Obviously the same for both players, but were the conditions hard to cope with in terms of getting rhythm on your serve and the wind gusting?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, there was wind there, but it was the same as yesterday pretty much. There is always a wind on one end. Sometimes a little bit swirly. That's pretty much Eastbourne and the way their conditions are.

That's just a factor. You play in wind quite a lot throughout the year, obviously outdoors. That wasn't too much of an issue. Just got to adapt as best you can. Same for both players at the same time.

Q. A bit of a hangover after Wednesday perhaps, Kyle?
KYLE EDMUND: Ah, no. Just a tennis match (smiling).

Yeah. Just go out there and get on with it. I won the first set, so it couldn't have been that much of a bad hangover. Just didn't play a good second and third set ultimately, yeah.

Q. Did the incident in the third set get to you at all?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, I was already a break down at that point. So, yeah, I mean, it's frustrating when you want the call to go your way, doesn't go your way, it's obviously not what you want. I mean, that didn't decide the match, for sure.

Q. Was it more, do you think, your frustration with the way you were performing as much as frustration with the call?
KYLE EDMUND: No, I think the call was frustrating. I really didn't agree with it. Generally that's not how they go by the rules. But, yeah, I mean, like I said, it's frustrating at the time because it's out of your hands, but it didn't decide the match, and it's one point. You have to move on.

I moved on. Like I said, I think I was -- I was 2-0 down at that point, anyway, a break. It didn't decide the match or anything.

Q. What did the umpire and the supervisor say to you when you were protesting?
KYLE EDMUND: Just their call, their opinion on the judgment.

Q. (Indiscernible.)
KYLE EDMUND: Well, no, just the situation of not -- you know, I feel it's one way, but it's their call ultimately, yeah.

Q. You say you're disappointed, a bit down. How will you feel overall about how the grass has been so far?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, not bad so far. I mean, the two matches I played and lost have not been too bad. Obviously had chances in both to win. And the two matches I have won I played pretty well.

I feel like I'm playing, you know, my best I have played on grass before, so that's one positive. But it's obviously you always look at matches you lose and think why am I not winning them? Then you identify things you can get better at or things you're not doing so well.

So, yeah, it's definitely been better in past years, but of course there is so much more to improve on. We always try and, you know, keep that in perspective. So, yeah. Today is another thing to learn from, especially on the grass court and how the match planned out, as well.

Yeah, I mean, going into Wimbledon, I have hit shedloads of balls, have trained a lot, especially doubles last week, seven matches now. A decent amount of time on court.

Q. Do you think it's been an interesting or important week for you? Andy Murray was here. You beat him. Jay Clarke, Cameron Norrie. The four of you being here all at the same time...
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, I mean, in general, having played British players, more of them is always better. That's what you want. You look at some of the other Federations, they generally have a lot more, and, you know, you get used to it. It's nice, and for sure when you see more players around, it's good.

But, you know, players just don't come like overnight in terms of you don't have three or four players and suddenly you have seven players. It just doesn't work like that. It's always a gradual progress to have more players around.

I mean, you could say -- I mean, obviously if Evo didn't have his ban and Andy wasn't injured we'd have four in the top 100 right now. If Aljaz was still British, you could say five.

It's better than it obviously was. It's all hypothetical, but, I mean, it's not too bad. The one thing is we have quite a few doubles players now, quite a few options, especially the Skupskis and Bambridge/O'Mara are doing well, and we still have Dom and Jamie. That department is actually looking really good.

Q. You have a cold?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, hayfever.

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