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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 3, 2019

Kyle Edmund

Wimbledon, London, England

F. VERDASCO/K. Edmund

4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Very cruel way to lose. Talk us through what happened in the third set when you slipped over.
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, just slipped over. When you slip, it's just a bit of a shock. You obviously don't plan to slip, so... When stuff like that happens, you just got to regroup and keep going.

Yeah, it was just obviously one point. I think that point, it would have been nice to win because I thought that was 30-15 to get to 30-All or something.

Q. Did you hurt yourself in that moment? You then had treatment to your knee and back. What was going on?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, when I slipped, I think my leg just straightened. In that moment, I felt something. I was able to play on from that.

So, yeah, it was a long match, quite physical match. The sort of physical intensity that I showed in the first part of the match gradually just declined. I was not able to keep that level up.

Yeah, I mean, I should have probably finished the match in the first place in the first part of the match, having obviously a two sets to love lead and a break. After I lost the break, lost the third set, yeah, physically just tapered off a bit.

Q. In what way did the leg problem hold you back?
KYLE EDMUND: It didn't hold me back at all. I physically was not able to keep going with, like, the power and reaction and stuff. But that's just I need to improve physically for next time I step on court. You know, being able to play three and a half, four hours, you need to put the work in. It doesn't just happen.

That's something definitely I need to improve on for next time.

Q. After the slip, would you agree you were affected more mentally than physically?
KYLE EDMUND: Not really, no.

Q. Your body language didn't look the same afterwards from what we could tell.
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, I mean, I don't even know what to say to that.

Q. Did you feel that confidence ebbing away a little bit?
KYLE EDMUND: No. I knew physically I wasn't the same as I was at the start of the match. That's quite an obvious comment. A lot of times you start the match a lot fresher than you would three hours or three and a half hours in.

Q. Is it a question of conditioning?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, definitely I need to improve. I knew that coming in, that a lot of focus has been trying to get physically stronger. Well, like I said before the tournament, the focus going into, like, Queen's was getting in the gym, getting stronger rather than putting hours in on the tennis court.

Now I've got to try and put some more hours in. We talk about, like, three and a half, four hours, getting to that level. Yeah, I've got to do that. At the same time I'm still up in the match and the 3-1 game cost me. That was my fault.

Q. With the injury, where was it actually? Was it fundamentally groin or right knee?
KYLE EDMUND: No, I just felt it in my right leg. So, yeah.

Q. Did you feel without Andy Murray here you had more of a burden on your shoulder?
KYLE EDMUND: No.

Q. Just to clarify. When you say physically it didn't hold you back today. You got a new injury?
KYLE EDMUND: No, I don't have any injury. Just when you are in sport, you play at a level, I've got to be able to play at the intensity I started the match for longer. I definitely didn't play with the same intensity at the end.

These are not excuses. These are just stuff I've got to get a bit better at. Like I said, I was in a position to win, and didn't.

Q. I think you said a similar thing after the US Open last year, didn't you, that you felt you just weren't physically strong enough to pull through some of these matches? Why do you think that is?
KYLE EDMUND: No, then I had tonsillitis. It's completely different.

Q. What would it be this time? Lack of matches?
KYLE EDMUND: I just need to get physically better and stronger. Obviously I've been dealing with a problem. But, yeah, it's not really an excuse. Once you go on court, you can't use any excuses. If you put yourself on court, you're going in there to do your best.

Q. What would be your priority now? Is it to work on your conditioning and fitness or is it to head straight to America? Maybe is it to have a bit of a break?
KYLE EDMUND: No, I mean, my next tournament is Washington. That's been the plan always. Get ready for Washington, train, yeah. Obviously after you lose, you don't just sit on the couch for a few weeks, then go and play Washington. You get ready. You get your body in check, work on your game.

Like any other time in the year, once you're done with a surface, coming off the hard to clay, you train, keep in check. Same going into the grass, you get ready for the grass. Now it's just getting ready for the hard court season, getting in and training.

My life's tennis, so I go and play.

Q. Just wondering whether you feel your body could benefit from a bit of a break?
KYLE EDMUND: I don't know. Are you a specialist?

Q. No. Just asking how you feel about it.
KYLE EDMUND: Well, yeah, got to go and train and get ready. Yeah, so nothing different.

Q. Will you need any extra rehab or medical attention on the knee? Are you happy that it can hold up on the American hard courts?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, it's been good. This period after Paris, obviously been dealing with it. Obviously had a match in Eastbourne. Had one Monday. Had a long one today. So good hours on the knee, good test. Held up well.

It's just, yeah, now trying to put as many sort of conditioning hours, isn't it, as I can.

Q. Thinking back to when you reached the semis at the Australian Open, you had some really grueling matches on your way to that semifinal. What is the difference, do you feel, from then to now in terms of your physical preparedness?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, when you go into the Australian Open, you generally feel physically pretty good because you're coming off a pre-season, so you obviously put in a lot of hours. So, yeah, I mean, going into this tournament, definitely didn't have as many hours as a four-week training block, which I knew.

The priority was definitely to be in a good state going in. But everyone going into this tournament doesn't do four-week training blocks. Everyone is in the same boat coming off the clay court season going into the grass court season.

Right now it's a nice little opportunity. I think, what, Washington is three weeks? It's a good little block there to try and push hard, get fitness up.

Q. Do you wish you had more luck? You've had a really bad injury, situation, ending the season early, pulling out of the French Open. Do you wish you had more luck sometimes?
KYLE EDMUND: It's easy to feel sorry for yourself, isn't it? Things don't improve by feeling sorry for yourself. You have to take action.

Not really, no. I mean, everyone's dealing with something. Yeah, you just got to get on with it and get better. I don't really look at it as luck or not. Just got to keep going, you know. If I'm being honest, I'm not hard done by in life. There's a lot more people with tough situations than me, for sure.

Q. Obviously there's still a lot of tennis to be played in 2019. Do you feel like you can finish the season strongly?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, for sure. The tennis season is so long. This time last year, I got ill straight after Wimbledon, won two matches in the U.S. hard court series, I think in Cincinnati and Winston-Salem. I literally have nothing to defend there. There's a great opportunity there.

It would be nice to go in there feeling really good, having a good run of matches is a really good window of opportunity. Obviously finish the year slightly early last year. For sure there is stuff to play for.

Q. Already quite a few seeds have fallen. When the dust settles, might you look back and think this is a slight missed opportunity for you, to go deep into the tournament?
KYLE EDMUND: I don't know. As a tennis player, you don't really analyze it like that. You do your best. I tried my best today. I don't know how long the match was, but I did my best. I'm disappointed I didn't get through. I can look back and definitely look at some opportunities that I missed in the match, especially with the position I was in.

It's a lesson learned for me. If I'm being honest, you don't look at draws and go, This guy lost, this guy lost, I missed an opportunity this week. You've just got to take one match at a time.

When you look at seeds that have lost, that shows, you know, a number on a piece of paper just does not mean anything. Everyone is a good player in this draw. You have to play every match 100%.

Q. The opportunity that you couldn't take in the third set, do you think that's a legacy of maybe not having won so many matches this season?
KYLE EDMUND: I don't know. I'm a good tennis player in terms of -- doesn't matter how many matches you win when you're two sets and a break up. You don't lose that match from not having enough tennis matches, in my opinion.

Q. You don't get more nervous at those kind of important moments?
KYLE EDMUND: I don't know. It's tough to analyze. Regardless of how many matches you've played or not played, if you want to win the match, you've got to win those points, yeah.

Q. John McEnroe on the block said you blew it. Is that a harsh assessment or do you agree with it?
KYLE EDMUND: Right now, there will be a lot of people with a lot of opinions naturally. Yeah, that's his opinion. I'm obviously disappointed. There will be for sure a lot of people saying that, yeah.

What can I say?

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