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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 30, 2019

Kyle Edmund

Wimbledon, London, England

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Munar first round, what do you make of that draw and how are you generally feeling?
KYLE EDMUND: Very good competitor. Practiced with him once last year. Plays with a lot of emotion, like always fighting. Expect that he won't go away.

Yeah, for me it would be obviously nice to be back here playing. Exciting match to be on Centre again. Very nice surprise when I saw that. Always exciting to be back at Wimbledon and playing on Centre Court.

Q. How important was the run you had in Eastbourne? How much has that boosted you coming here?
KYLE EDMUND: It was nice to get that run. I mean, three matches inside a week is not something I've had for a while. Good to get that. Come through some pressure situations. Learn from my loss.

Just helped me a lot with being on court tennis-wise, with my confidence. Obviously physically getting some good hours in the body on the match court rather than the practice court. Just, you know, good positives from that.

Either way, even if you didn't have that or you did have that, you still try and come to Wimbledon confident by getting the hours on the practice court. But it was nice I was able to do it on the match court.

I think the fact I sort of finished Friday, and I'm playing Monday, compared to Tuesday, it's nice to just sort of keep it going with the momentum, not having too much of a delay.

Q. What are your memories of the match on Centre Court against Novak? Is that inspiring or something you remember with some warmth, even though it didn't go your way?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, it was probably the best match I played at Wimbledon, to be honest, in terms of level. I had a good grass court season last year. That was obviously the end of it. I was playing well on the grass. Had lots of hours, a few matches. I had a really good first set. Probably just dropped slightly in terms of consistency in the second and fourth.

I ended up playing the winner, so he was playing very well. It was a good match. I mean, the best sort of atmosphere and match I've been involved in at Wimbledon, for sure. On Centre Court as well. It was really a good one to remember. It was my third match on there.

I think every time you go on Centre Court or Court 1, you get the feel of it. It's always in the bank for next time you go in, that you have some memories there, how you played on there for the next time.

Q. Is it sort of nice with Paul Jubb here, people wouldn't necessarily associate Hull as a hotbed of British tennis? Is it just coincidence that there are two of the British men in the main draw from very much a similar part of the world? Is there particularly good coaching there? Is it total coincidence?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, I don't really know. I mean, maybe coincidence. I certainly know, like, when I was young, we had a really good setup just because as I'm older now, I have more of a feel of what is a good setup and what isn't.

Looking back, it was a really good setup that I had when Richard Plews was there. He had basically his own tennis program with lots of kids like myself there.

Q. Was that at Nuffield?
KYLE EDMUND: No, that was at David Lloyd at that time. But that was the best program there. Then obviously when he left, a lot of stuff moved over to what was then Canons, now it's Nuffield.

So, yeah, I mean, I know obviously everyone there. One of my mates used to coach Jubbie. I'm not really sure. It's probably just sort of good coaching in terms of managing or looking after players well.

Also, you know, like, Jubbie himself personally striving through improving himself and wanting to improve, making that move to America where I think, because of the situation, he's very much independent, on his own.

He's got to bat for himself, look after himself and grow as a human being in life. He's done amazingly to be out there on his own and improve.

I think that's what happened to me as well. There's always good coaching, but it has to come from you wanting to improve. Obviously I'm happy where I'm at in terms of playing the tour. But Jubbie, great credit to him that he finds himself in the situation right now.

Q. Andy Murray always admitted that he used to get mouth ulcers coming into Wimbledon. When you see the reality of a teatime Centre Court draw, knowing the nation is watching you, do you feel any extra pressure?
KYLE EDMUND: I just got to go out there and do my best basically. I've answered this question quite a few times the last few weeks.

I do my best. If I come unstuck, people have opinions about it, I move on. The good thing about tennis, so many opportunities around the corner. You play week after week. If you win, it's great. Another chance to play at Wimbledon.

Selfishly I'll want to obviously do well. I have goals of my own that you always want to do well at Wimbledon. It's the biggest tournament in the world. I'll do my best.

But, yeah, I mean, if you go on court tense and feeling pressure to win, then I don't think it's a great recipe to relax into your game and play freely.

Q. I know you've answered it academically, but now that you're actually here, does it inspire you more? Does it work the other way?
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, I don't know. That was my answer.

I'm here now. Like, I'm ready to play. Yeah, I'm just ready to play basically. I don't know. I suppose when you write and you have thousands of people reading your work and what you write, I don't think you think that at the time that a thousand people are reading every word that you write. You just write on what you know, what you have practiced so much.

I think that's how tennis goes. What you've practiced, you go out there and try your best to do, your best piece of work you have at the time.

Q. On Paul Jubb, what advice did you give him? What were the first memories you had of him?
KYLE EDMUND: I've not had, like, loads of contact with him. I definitely didn't speak to him when he was in America. I'm not going to say, like, I've helped him in any way. It's all him and his responsibility. The success he has is all on him. I haven't had much to do with him.

I got to hit with him today. He's nice. It's also like, I guess, I was in his position at one point, being sort of a younger guy having a wild card. These experiences are new. Everything is new you're taking in. It's the first time for a lot of things.

I think back to then, how I felt. Maybe he's feeling similar things. Maybe he's looking at it differently.

But, yeah, when he got the wild card, I sent him a message saying, Well done, amazing opportunity, as best you can try and enjoy these two weeks because it's probably the best two weeks you're going to have as a professional tennis player.

Q. Has Andy's return here, albeit in the doubles, reduced so far as you can tell any of the attention on you? If so, is it a relief?
KYLE EDMUND: Well, I don't think about the attention. I wouldn't say I've had any less obligations to do -- like, I still got to do my own stuff. I guess same things, amount of things are written about me. But I don't know.

Regardless of looking at the attention, just having him back is obviously great. I think from the public point of view, he's been the best British player ever. Everyone wants to have him back. They want to see him playing. The fact that he's on court playing I'm sure brings a lot of smiles to people's faces.

I know in terms of as an athlete, it's horrible to be injured, just not able to play. Touch wood, I've not been out as long as he has in terms of maybe two years now on and off. But he's probably just excited to be back and happy he's on court. I think that's the best thing right now, he's just enjoying playing tennis rather than looking at it so stressfully that I've got to win, or if I lose this happens.

From my point of view, it's good to have him back. I haven't really looked at it as less pressure on me or attention or anything like that.

Q. In terms of your own fitness, how has your knee pulled up after Eastbourne?
KYLE EDMUND: I was happy with it after playing three matches. Two of them decent length matches, one a little bit quicker. But, yeah, I was happy with it, how it felt. But also performance-wise, it was pretty good.

Maybe in America I had good matches. But probably the best three sort of consecutive matches I've had in a while.

Q. When you played against Evo in Eastbourne, I was watching on television, you seemed to find a level of fire. Was that generated by the fact you've known him so long, there's been a bit of a British rivalry there?
KYLE EDMUND: No. I mean, I've been pumped up before in matches. I found myself a set down, not in it. Needed to get in it emotionally, invest myself into it, try and get fired up a bit. Yeah, I mean, when I played Fritz, I was trying to get into it, as well.

Yeah, it was a great win in terms of Evo on grass won a lot of matches. Very confident playing at this present time. It was a good win for me.

But, yeah, I was 6-1 down very quick. I needed to make something happen quite quickly in order to turn it around.

Q. Can I ask why you were surprised you were on Centre Court? You're British No. 1. Does that stem from lack of confidence?
KYLE EDMUND: Did I say I was surprised?

Q. You said that was a nice surprise to see you were on Centre Court.
KYLE EDMUND: Yeah, just playing on Centre. I think if you asked Rafa or someone like that, every time they play on Centre, I don't think it gets taken for granted. I think it's a great honor. Not just singling out Rafa.

But even if players you expect to be on Centre, a lot of people in tennis have a huge, like, respect for a tournament like Wimbledon. So when you get to play on Centre Court, it's a great buzz, like especially when you have the feeling of know what it feels like to go on it. It's great to see your name on the order of play, or surprise, yeah.

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