US OPEN

September 3, 2022

Nick Kyrgios

Press Conference

N. KYRGIOS/J. Wolf

6-4, 6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Straight sets, under two hours. Your thoughts on your play tonight.

NICK KYRGIOS: Well, I had to go out there and be very switched on from the get-go. I knew the way J.J. has been playing, he's had an amazing couple months. He's energy is infectious. I knew the crowd was going to start hopping onto his kind of game. He plays an exciting brand of tennis as well.

He serves big. Takes a lot of risk. Doesn't play with much margin. I knew the crowd was going to start to get on top of that type of tennis.

I could feel the momentum swinging a little bit in the third. I could hear them cheering his name. I am really happy with the way I got it done in straight sets. Keeping it under two hours is good. Obviously, this part of the tournament you want to be as fresh as possible. It doesn't get easier.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You were dancing and celebrating. Seemed like you were having a good time. Would you say you took your advice and were nicer to yourself today?

NICK KYRGIOS: I don't know. Not really. I just act stupid and stuff in those certain moments. It just comes to me and I kind of do it.

I was still extremely hard on myself today. You look at the score, it was 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. In a Grand Slam, usually someone would have no moments in that match getting angry. If I look back, I have probably 25 still.

I don't know. I was probably a lot better today. I thought I was much more composed today than I was in my second round. I actually tried to work on it today. I didn't want to be so up and down, so much of a roller coaster. For me and my team, I wanted us to kind of enjoy the way I'm playing, the form I have at the moment. It's amazing.

It's good. We've all been away from home now for three and a half months, going onto four months. We all miss our families, we all miss home. I want to try to make this worthwhile and get the most out of it before we head home. I think it's going to make that time better.

I feel like today we all should celebrate it. Straight set win in the third round. I've never been to the fourth round before of the US Open, so I feel like I've come a long way.

Q. You're known, have a reputation, for being a big-stage player.

NICK KYRGIOS: Do you think so?

Q. Playing the best on these big occasions. Looks like you'll have one in Daniil. What is it about you, big crazy atmospheres that help you play better, if that's true?

NICK KYRGIOS: I just feel like I've always kind of, as a tennis player, as an athlete, with any profession, you kind of want to be in those moments. Like, I don't want to be playing futures or challengers on backcourts with no crowd. That's not why I play this sport. That's not why I pick up a racquet.

I want to be playing on the biggest stadiums in the world in front of millions of people broadcasted globally. That's where I want to be. That is why I work hard. It makes it even sweeter. I know a lot of people don't want me to succeed. I know a lot of people hate my game, the way I do things, they way I go about it.

I'm the only Australian still left on the men's side. It's the same story every time, literally every time in a Grand Slam.

I always thrive on it. I never want to forget all the things people say. I always carry this chip on my shoulder. I have it all in the back of my head when I'm playing. I want to be there. I want to be on prime time. I want to be on that screen, the screen they're all watching.

I embrace it. Win or lose, I'm proud of how far I've come. I've worked hard to be in the fourth round against the US Open, hopefully against Medvedev. I want to be there. I think that's where every tennis player wants to be, playing the best players in the world in the best stadiums in the world, getting paid well. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. You touched on your return a couple days ago. What have you done to work on that facet? How have you improved that side of your game? What does that do for you as a result?

NICK KYRGIOS: I've definitely worked on it every training session. I don't have a coach so I broke down my game. My weakness was obviously my forehand return. Throughout my career, my forehand return has been my weakness. My second serve at times. I don't give it enough variety. Movement.

Three things I worked on were getting in better shape, adding more variety to my second serve, and every day, every practice session, I'll allocate five to 10 minutes working on my forehand return. Five, 10 minutes adds up every day into hours.

Basically playing a lot more doubles with Thanasi helps as well returning. I've been working on my forehand return there a lot. It's translated into my singles game.

I think I just want it more, intent. That's what returns are, energy, intent, aggression. Instead of massaging it, trying to get it into play, actually trying to break serve.

Obviously I figured out quite early in my career you don't have to break serve to win tennis matches. I got a bit lax on return games. Now I want to be able to put that pressure on players. I'm proud of it. I drove that. I didn't have a coach. I analyzed my game. I put in the work. I'm seeing the results.

Obviously the stats don't lie. Numbers never lie. So I'm really happy with that.

Q. You mentioned how long you've been away from home. What does it mean to know that you've gotten the furthest you've ever gotten? How are you dealing with it mentally that you're apart from your family and a lot of your friends?

NICK KYRGIOS: I'm struggling with it, to be honest. I think a big part of me would love to just be home with my girlfriend and see our families and have that comfortable type of lifestyle. But this is just what I do.

It's fun at times obviously going to new places, meeting new people, seeing the world. It's fun. But it's hard. Because we text message, we try and FaceTime, but it doesn't do it justice. You miss crucial moments of life.

I personally struggle with it because I value those little homes at home. Obviously I'm a tennis player who doesn't play a heavy schedule because of that reason. I don't want to miss those moments. Especially when they're significant moments like my mum's birthday, when she's not healthy, in and out of hospital.

It's hard to put that like out of your mind while you're on the road. I'm at the US Open. Reality is I'm at the US Open. I'm one of the favorites. I'm expecting myself to do well. I'm just going to have to carry on.

But obviously, yeah, I've got one eye on home after this tournament. It's hard. Only Australians understand that. No other tennis player understands what it's like to be on the road for that long. No one does. It's hard. Something they don't have to deal with.

Yeah, I try not to think about it. I try not to talk about it too much as well. I don't know, it makes you sad a little bit, so...

Q. You were talking about the way you're playing. If you look at the start of the tournament to where you are now, how much of an improvement do you feel there has been? Let's say it is Daniil in the next round, how much more improvement do you need to have?

NICK KYRGIOS: Well, I know my game plan if it's Medvedev. I'm happy if I win or lose playing that way. Like, I'm definitely going to play a certain way against him. I'm happy to lose that way and I'm happy to win that way.

Yeah, I think my level is right there. I think there are only a few players right now who are playing a better level of tennis than I am, if not the same.

So, look, it is what it is. If it's Medvedev, there's no shame in losing to a player like that. But I definitely feel like the way I'm playing, the game plan and the success I had against him obviously in Montreal. I definitely feel like I have a fighting chance. Not many players can say that right now, going in to play Medvedev at the US Open. Like, they're going to go out there, but I don't think they're down the other end of the court knowing they're going to win. I feel like I'm definitely one of the players that has a chance. With the way I'm playing right now, I have a chance.

Q. Is that Montreal match significant?

NICK KYRGIOS: Definitely, for sure. Especially a recent match. I feel like when I played him in Australian Open, I had victories against him, but they were like years before. The Australian Open I felt like my level wasn't there. I played the wrong way. He was just in his prime.

I still took a set there. I was just nowhere near the player I am now. That's for sure. But I feel like having success against someone weeks before, then playing them again, for sure it's in his mind. For sure it's in my mind. We put that behind us.

We've got major respect for each other. I've got major respect for his coach as well. He's a great guy. Been really nice to me.

Look, I think it's going to be a fun battle.

Q. You like going for broke at big moments. Tonight it looked like you had a good cross-court backhand, but seemed content to keep hitting it there, making J.J. work. Is that because you know he may then be tempted to go for something he shouldn't?

NICK KYRGIOS: You look at J.J., I've been in that position before where I've been given a wild card in my home Grand Slam. You're soaking in every moment. I know what he's feeling. It drains you. You get to the courts. You look forward to practices. Your mind doesn't stop thinking. Social media is going off. You've won a couple rounds. Like, I know what that feels like. I know already when I'm walking out there how he feel, how much energy he wants to go out there.

With that game style, I know he wants to put on a show, he wants to play aggressive, he wants to put things on his terms. Today I took a backseat.

Obviously there are some flair-y points here and there. You look at my stats, I'm not blasting winners past him. Obviously serving well, mixing up my serve. But my forehand winners were low, my backhand winners were quite low for a standard match. That was my game plan, to play a more disciplined type of tennis tonight, see what it brought.

I was honestly curious to see what type of tennis he was going to bring. I was impressed. Couple points here or there that he just lacks a bit of experience, playing a bit too big, not within himself. That will come with time. He's a young guy, he made third round of the US Open. That's amazing. But he definitely put himself in a position to break me numerous times today as well.

That will come with experience. I was once that person who played massive on every point. He'll learn in time in a Grand Slam that that brand of tennis will get you out of trouble and win you a lot of matches, but it can be self-destructive at times. That's taken me 27 years to figure out as well.

I definitely had a different tactic tonight. I was definitely the veteran who was playing more within himself. I think the stats will show that. He made a lot more unforced errors than I have. I'm happy with that.