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FEVER-TREE CHAMPIONSHIP

June 17, 2019

Kyle Edmund

London, England

(From audio.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How's the knee?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, it's okay. It's gone as well as I'd like it to go, so, yeah, it's always a process. You always have to continue to get it better. Happy how it's improved, so, yeah.

Q. How long did you take off?
KYLE EDMUND: A couple of days, but, yeah, just start trying, the process of getting it better and stuff and stronger. Been pretty much just training since Paris.

Q. What has a specialist or a doctor told you since coming back?
KYLE EDMUND: Nothing new, really. We already knew the problem, so it was just about training, getting a plan together, and trying to stick to it best we can and just improve it. Get it stronger, basically.

Q. Are you concerned about it?
KYLE EDMUND: I think you asked me that question in France. Yeah.

Q. (Question off microphone.)
KYLE EDMUND: No, I know what the problem is. Just trying to get it better, basically.

Q. If it wasn't Wimbledon this period, would you be taking more time off to get it right?
KYLE EDMUND: If it wasn't...

Q. If Wimbledon wasn't so soon coming up, these tournaments, would you be taking some time off to get the knee properly right?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, no, because Wimbledon is still two weeks away. So I could have taken this week and next week off. So obviously I want to play this week and feel like I'm in a state to play. So if I wasn't in a state to play where I feel I would go on court just to go through the motions, I wouldn't play obviously, because it would be no good. So I feel like I'm in a position to do that.

Q. What of your draw? Do you see an opportunity? Tsitsipas?
KYLE EDMUND: It's obviously tough in terms of he's played a lot, played very well, won a lot this year. But at the same time, it's almost like a very ideal situation where, you know, there is no pressure on me to do well. Almost everything is on him.

And also playing here, you know, you will get the support from the crowd. So in a way, there is quite a few positives to see. There's almost nothing really for me to defend, I don't mean, as in points, but protect, like I'm not expected to win or anything like that, and I get the support.

There is positives, but of course at the same time, it's a tough match, but they are all tough matches here, just the nature of the tournament, it's so strong.

You don't really get a first round that's like, Oh, nice warmup draw, or something like that. They are all quite tough.

Q. Obviously today we are all writing a little bit about Andy because it's on the eve of his doubles comeback? Have you seen him around much? Have you seen him hitting?
KYLE EDMUND: Just seen him a little bit hitting and just seen him in the players lounge, but -- I've chatted to him a little bit, just said hello and stuff, but I haven't had a huge amount of stuff to do with him. I haven't practiced with him since I have been back in the UK or anything like that. Yeah, just the general sort of, How are you doing, and stuff.

Q. You mentioned it's quite nice not having expectation on you playing the top seed here. In a way, if Andy is around, there is sort of less focus on you, as well?
KYLE EDMUND: I guess so. You always personally want to do well, so there is always that sort of expectation there, but -- yes, you don't kind of -- the thing is you don't really look at it too much in that way about who you play and Andy's around so there is less pressure on me. You just get on with your stuff anyway.

Q. Personally, do you find it nice to have him back? Is it a boost for you, for the game, for tennis? How do you feel about the return of Andy maybe sooner than maybe people thought?
KYLE EDMUND: The return? Yeah, it's nice just to see him back in terms of him. In terms of me, like, it doesn't do -- like, nothing changes with me, as in I start to play better or I play more freely or anything like that.

It's just nice to see him back for who he is. I just carry on with my own business and my own schedule and stuff and do the best I can.

But for him being back, it's good to see him back still obviously trying to work and figure out a way to keep competing. It's never easy just to stop from competing as a sportsman or tennis player. So I think he just wants to be on court and playing just for being so long off it. So that's always a positive sign.

And I have not spoken to him in any detail, but just from reading a few things, it sounds like he's pretty happy and positive about where he's at compared to this time last year just in how he's feeling. So I think that's obviously a good start.

Q. Andy wants to play Davis Cup if he's fit. Would you relish that prospect of being a Davis Cup teammate?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, for sure. Not going to say no (smiling). Of course it would be amazing to see him there, yeah.

I mean, he's just been out so long, so, you know, in 2015 he was the guy who put us through to the final and won it. Of course it's always a team effort, but he was a very, very big part of that. So everyone loves to see him at Davis Cup just because he's such a legend of British tennis.

So he's always -- you know, he's always his choice to be there, and he's not going to be there if he's not ready. He's not going to put himself in that situation. So it's not really -- no one needs to ask him if he wants to be there or not. Everyone trusts him well enough to know that he's going to be there if he's ready for it and not "I want to be there but I'm not ready."

So there is nothing for him to prove to be there if he's not ready. So it will be amazing if he is in a state to play, and it just helps everyone in the team and boosts the morale.

Q. You obviously had a very good grass court season last year. Does that give you confidence for this year, what you achieved 12 months ago?
KYLE EDMUND: I think every year I get more and more confident. I learn more about the grass just because the surface I have played on less, so you learn more and more. I had my best grass court season last year.

You always learn -- for me, I have learned a lot about the movement more than anything rather than the strike of the ball or the way it's played a bit more, but the movement is quite key for me.

Yeah, to answer your question, I definitely learnt a lot last year, and this year is, of course, a different sort of situation or, yeah, environment I'm in. I'm not coming in with loads of matches, or last year I wasn't thinking about anything apart from just tennis. This year is a bit different in my body. But obviously when you get on court you still can play and do your best.

So I think every year it obviously would be a situation where you come in slightly different from last year, but you still have to find a way.

Q. I think you were originally in the doubles draw here. Was there a reason for pulling out? Was it just precautionary?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, more precautionary just because of the load on my body, just from training and what happened in Paris. We just thought to concentrate on the singles and manage my load that way rather than having an extra match.

So I wasn't so disappointed pulling out of the doubles. It was more just, like, being given the wildcard, so when you get a wildcard and then you sort of turn it down, it's not really that much fun or it's not a good look.

So, yeah, I just said sorry to obviously Stephen, but he understood just where I was at at this moment in my body. Yeah, that was basically it. Just managing the load with it.

Q. What's your opinion about on-court coaching?
KYLE EDMUND: On-court coaching? I personally don't feel there is a need for it. Obviously I know the WTA do it, but it's probably, I feel, not a need just because I'm used to not having it on the court.

With the debate about having coaching maybe off the court in terms of just speaking, you know, like other sports do or, say, football shouting from the side or whatever, I'd say, like, I'm more interested in maybe that aspect, but in terms of, like, a coach coming on court, I'm so used to not having it. But if, like I said, coaches are to say a piece of information from the side to you on the court in the right way or an appropriate way, I would be with that sort of debate. But we'll see.

Q. So you're not on the practice list today. Is that just a precaution?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, I'm going to go indoors, NTC, just because of the weather.

Q. Where did you watch the Champions League final? And how did you celebrate?
KYLE EDMUND: I actually watched it down the road here, Three Famous Kings Pub, because it was a Liverpool pub. And, yeah, we got there at 5:00 because the doors shut at 5:00, and you stand around until 8:00 and eventually watch the match. So, yeah.

I think I must have been the only guy not drinking in the pub (smiling), but obviously turned out to be a good one.

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