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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 14, 2018

Nick Kyrgios

Cincinnati, Ohio

N. KYRGIOS/D. Kudla

6-7, 7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you feel about today? How important was it to get through that win and trust your body to get through it?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, it's always good to get a win at a tournament that you know you did previously pretty well in. I'm struggling a little bit physically. I'm not 100%. So I'm just happy to get through.

But obviously I'm still able to serve at a high level, which is half the game. So I gave myself a chance today. Third-set tiebreak was pretty up and down, but it was -- I mean, I don't usually feel too many things on a tennis court, but I felt a little bit of adrenaline in the third set, which was good.

Q. I think there was a second serve in that tiebreak, down match point or something, and you hit that big serve. Do you think at all when you're doing that?
NICK KYRGIOS: Not really. I don't feel as if I can miss that serve again, so I just go for it. And it came off today, but obviously some days it's not going to work. But on days like today, obviously it got me the win.

Q. What gives you the faith in that shot?
NICK KYRGIOS: Well, I have won a lot of matches doing that. Previous experiences. It's high percentage for me. My serve is my best shot. It's high percentage to back myself and go for those serves under pressure. And as I said, sometimes you're gonna lose, and most of the time, if you back yourself, you win the match.

Q. You are obviously a fast server and quick. Shot clock is obviously not an issue for you at all?
NICK KYRGIOS: No, not at all. The shot clock is -- I think for me it's actually just a reminder that I can slow down. Sometimes when the shot clock is not there, I'll just continually keep going and going and going. And with the shot clock there, I mean, I'm at the line with, like, 20 seconds to go. I'm, like, jeez, I can relax and compose myself a little bit. I don't even really notice it at all, to be honest.

Q. Is it a conscious thing, like you're serving so quickly or...
NICK KYRGIOS: I think just in general a quick game is a good game. I don't really need to think between points. I know what I'm going to do. I mean, I don't really think about it.

Q. There has been a lot of talk in tennis about ways to speed up the game, different rule changes. You're the fastest guy, so if you were going to make recommendations on how to speed up tennis, what would you say could be done to make every match a little more like a Kyrgios game?
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't know. I think there is only so much you can do with a sport like this. There is a lot of old school, a lot of traditions with it.

You can't really -- if you start getting rid of, like, the pace in between points and the games and the sets, it kind of just changes the sport. I don't know if we want that.

But I don't know. I really don't know. I think there is only so much you can do to make this sport exciting at times.

Q. 138 miles per hour. I'm not sure on my math. Do you know what that translates to kilometers? It's a math question.
NICK KYRGIOS: I'm not a calculator.

Q. When it comes to your body, how are you dealing with this process? Are you getting to a point where you maybe need to decide -- because I feel every tournament is a bit of a worry for you.
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, for sure. This year has been tough. I started the year very well. Then obviously I hurt my elbow. Then I had an ongoing hip injury.

We have been definitely thinking about the options with my hip. You know, there is only so much you can do before you have to, you know, I guess, get surgery or something like that.

You know, right now I'm just managing it. Obviously I'm feeling my right knee because I'm favoring my left side of my body a little bit. I'm just trying to get through it. The physio has been helping me. I've been doing rehab every day. I'm doing everything I can. As I said, as long as I can serve, I have a good chance to win still, I guess.

Q. You're playing an American today here in America, but you had a tremendous amount of fan support. Could you talk a little bit about the fans today and whether or not you felt always like very welcomed here or felt a lot of support from Cincinnati?
NICK KYRGIOS: I guess they just like a winner, because one year I broke three racquets in a row and they didn't really like me. I made finals last year and they loved me. I guess if I keep winning, they love me, and if I lose, they won't like me.

Q. Can you describe your degree of confidence when you need a serve? It looked like you really had some giddyup when you wanted to have it.
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah. I mean, it's just I have been doing it my whole career. I guess I like free points, and I don't like to rally too much. So I just go for a big second serve.

Q. Can you look ahead to the match against Borna? Obviously very solid from the baseline. For you, the serve is the biggest thing for you. Would you be able to kind of keep up with him in long rallies and stuff like that?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I have beaten him on clay. I'm all right. Yeah, I'll be okay.

Q. Your game is amazing, your skills. What seems to be a struggle is the body, care of your body holding up for you. Are you looking at any changes to physios and the way you're training to kind of make a change with that?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah. I mean, I'm getting told by people in my team that I need to start taking care of my body. I played two to three hours of basketball in Atlanta every day, so that's not gonna help.

I just like discipline. It's as simple as that. You know, I think -- I mean, if knuckle down and I do the right things, I think I can do it. I have done it before. I have gone through a long time with no injury. I'm just not doing the right things at the moment. It's actually harder. It's hard to do.

Q. Do you know when you were doing it, why was it working? Just a state of mind? What makes it work and what makes it sometimes not work?
NICK KYRGIOS: There is an LA Fitness 30 seconds from the hotel, which doesn't help, but I don't know. I guess it's just how much I want it, I guess. If I want to stay healthy, then I'll do the right things.

Q. In terms of discipline, you say you're on one end of the spectrum and Andy Murray is the opposite end of the spectrum, but you guys are good friends. What's the connection with you and him? He's also gone through hip issues. What do you make of him, and why do you two click when it wouldn't make sense on paper necessarily?
NICK KYRGIOS: I don't know. He's just a funny guy. I don't know. He's really down-to-earth and he's actually a really funny guy. People maybe think he doesn't have much of a personality or a bit boring. When I was young, coming onto the tour, he was obviously helping me if I needed anything.

Now I guess I just got to know him, and I don't think -- he doesn't take himself too seriously. So I think that's the similarity we have. We just like to kind of keep things, you know, kind of relaxed in the locker room and just have some laughs, but on the court we couldn't get any different, I think.

Q. What do you make of that video having so many hits?
NICK KYRGIOS: Well, I don't know if it's a hit. We got in trouble with it. I was supposed to take it down but I haven't. It was unbelievable. Unbelievable. I wish I could do it again. But I will get in trouble for it.

Q. You say you don't think much when you come to the service line. Do you pick a spot? What's your process?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, just go up and pick a spot, literally.

Q. As a guy with Greek roots, do you pay much attention to...
NICK KYRGIOS: Tsitsipas? Read your mind, as soon as you said "Greek."

He's a really good player. I think he's going to have a huge career. He's very professional. He's going to be very good. He isn't very good now but he's going to be very good.

Q. You are finding inspiration in charitable work, helping other people.
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah.

Q. How is that factoring in now? Are you finding that thread to be consistent and helpful?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah. My motivation with tennis is always going to be on and off, but I guess just helping and, I mean, with the Foundation and helping kids and doing all the work at the tournaments, whether it's tournaments or something, I just, I don't know, gives me a bit of a kick.

I think, at the end of the day, that's what it's about. Doesn't really matter how many tennis matches you win or anything like that. These kids, obviously they look up to all of us guys playing, so if you could make one person's day, it's a pretty special day.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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