AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2023

Nick Kyrgios

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Nick, welcome back to the Australian Open. Can you just give us an update on your recovery from the injury.

NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I mean, obviously this time of the year is a lot for someone, a player like me, with the pressure and expectation. Just managing the body. I think the top players, a good example is Novak, we're always kind of managing something. Tennis season is so long.

Relatively feeling pretty good. I wouldn't say fresh, but I'm just really excited to be here again. Obviously after incredible memories last year with Thanasi. The year I had last year at the Grand Slams, as well.

I'm excited to see how things unravel this week.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. The Netflix documentary dropped last night. How did you feel you were portrayed in that first episode? Did watching it back give you some great memories, inspire you to go better in the singles this year?

NICK KYRGIOS: I haven't watched it. I watched the preview obviously. Just been so busy. Like, I've just been doing so many things off the court. Obviously preparing for the AO.

It's massive opportunity for my brand to get out there. It's just so important for tennis. I think we've got so many great personalities, so many young personalities, and so many colorful athletes. Frances, Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, these guys are great tennis players and great people as well.

I think when the big three kind of settle down and end up retiring, it's so important that these guys are on showcase globally. Tennis is one of the most global sports in the world. We need it to be successful.

But, yeah, me, how I'm portrayed, definitely not how the media has portrayed me. I'm definitely a fun kid who grew up in a very quiet sort of town with my family.

Yeah, it's obviously pretty cool to see how far I've come, but I think the later episodes as well, following me around Wimbledon, that type of stuff, will be super exciting.

I'm just glad that tennis is on the map again. I think it's one of the main talking points, one of the biggest sports right now, obviously with the Netflix documentary dropping.

Q. Do you feel underdone not having an ATP or the United Cup event leading into the Australian Open? Do you feel the practice you've done with your team is enough going into a Grand Slam?

NICK KYRGIOS: I have always been a player that doesn't need too many matches. I played 12 to 13 events last year. Felt like that was a lot of tennis. I'm always going to have to keep that in mind.

Obviously there are players that need a lot of matches going into a Grand Slam. But me, I just like to feel fresh, I like to feel like I've got everything under control.

There's so many capable people here. There's always talk about me being a favorite, big expectations. I'm just trying to take it a day at a time. There's so many people here that can cause damage.

I'm just doing everything right at the moment.

Q. You already were having a pretty good year before Wimbledon last year. What did Wimbledon itself do for your inner belief in those big moments in Grand Slams?

NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, it was just a special moment. Just more relief more than anything. Obviously hearing the outside noise every day, every tournament, He's not able to put it into a Grand Slam, he's not able to do this, he's not able to do that.

I always knew belief-wise that my level was there, but to be able to do it consistently was always the issue. I think it just kind of showed me how stressful getting to a slam final is, dealing with the outside noise, media commitments, balancing on-court, off-court recovery.

These guys that have won multiple Grand Slams, they're just animals, not only physically, but mentally.

I don't get invested with anything before a slam that much any more. Even during, I kind of just roll with the punches, just go where the flow takes me, try to perform when I need to perform. That's it.

It was a lot of relief honestly that I was able to show it finally at a Grand Slam.

Q. You said your first time you feel the favorite in this Grand Slam. How this is make you feeling? Is more pressure on it or just enjoying that position?

NICK KYRGIOS: I mean, I think everyone wants to get to a position in their sport or their profession, be one of the best and have that expectation and pressure.

It's a privilege to go out there and feel that Australia wants me to win and to be one of the favorites. It's a good feeling.

I walked in here at the Australian Open maybe eight, nine years ago as a wild card. Now to see how my career has unfolded, to get to a point where everyone kind of expects me to win and go far, it's a good feeling.

But there's a lot of stress, as well. I see it everywhere, on social media, everyone talking about it. How are you feeling about Australian Open? You're one of the favorites.

It's hard to kind of just focus on what I need to do.

Q. You spoke before about belief from Wimbledon. The lesson, what did you learn from both Wimbledon and the US Open, where you had the really good run, but a tough loss in the quarterfinal? What did you learn about yourself?

NICK KYRGIOS: I think the US Open was really hard for me because every match I was playing the last match on. I wasn't getting to sleep until 3, 4 a.m. every night, which was incredibly hard. That's hard for anyone.

I think at a slam you just can't get too invested. If you lose a set, you got to try to just put it back, forget about it, keep going, keep moving. You got to do everything right, tick all the boxes.

I just know at the end of the two weeks, if things go well, or if things don't go well, I'm going to be emotionally exhausted after. I need to look after myself all the time. I need to make sure I'm getting the right amount of sleep. I'm a human at the end. Can only take so much.

I just know going into it, it's going to be tiring.

Q. There's chance you might meet Holger Rune in round three. He sometimes gets criticized for his behavior for losing his temper. As someone else who faced that kind of criticism, what would your advice be for a young guy like Holger?

NICK KYRGIOS: I mean, he's one of the best talents that we have in the sport. He's got the ability to win multiple Grand Slams. If I was Denmark, anyone who had Holger Rune, I would just make sure they support him, give him all the support.

He's a young guy. He's super young. He's doing everyone proud around him. He's going to deal with a lot of pressure and expectations.

Instead of criticizing him, you focus on the positives. What he's able to do already. What he's done in such a short period of time. He's so young and he's beating guys like Novak Djokovic in the finals of Paris. Focus on that rather than the 30 seconds when things get out of hand for 30 seconds. How good is he over the 95% of the time? He's amazing.

I'm super excited. I saw him in my little section of the draw. I'm not looking forward at all. I'm focusing on everyone one match at a time.

He's an exciting talent, super good guy as well. I've got to know him a little bit over the last couple months. He's going to have an unbelievable career. He's a super hard worker.

Yeah, I would just tell Denmark to just embrace that. He's the best player for your country. Just remember that.

Q. You spoke about how busy you are. Do you find the opportunities, like last night, give you energy, or do they take your energy away, so you need to manage what you say yes to?

NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I mean, obviously it's hard finding the balance. Last night I look at the fact I'm able to raise a quarter of a million dollars for charity, make Novak feel right at home at the slam where he's had the most success.

All the people that are just there to see me have fun, I'm doing Kids' Day today. That's always been a big priority for me. I have this platform now where I'm able to inspire the youth, do great things with it.

So, no, it's not really taxing for me personally. Obviously everything takes energy. But at the same time it's so rewarding to see, I go out there yesterday with a couple young kids, they're posting on Instagram today saying it was the best day of their lives. It's powerful. That's what us as athletes can do.

I'll never slow down with that sort of stuff. That's why I got to the position I'm in. Someone like me, you saw in the Netflix documentary, I look like a potato for the first 10 years of my life. Now to be able to do so many special things, that's what I'm going to focus on doing.

But yeah, I mean, it was pretty special last night. I think it was a special night for everyone.

Q. Are you keen to sort of play most of the first week on John Cain Arena? Do you expect to be on Rod Laver? What are the differences between the courts?

NICK KYRGIOS: I don't necessarily mind any more. I've played so many matches over the last year on the biggest courts in the world. I think I've always got a little bit of a soft spot for John Cain Arena. I've had so many amazing memories on that court.

I think the crowd is so rowdy and so much fun. My first round I might want to play on that court. If it's Rod Laver, I'm on okay with that. I feel extremely at home on any kind of court I play on now.

The crowd in Australia is amazing. The energy is unmatched.

Q. You mentioned Novak, the event you played with him last night. How did you get from where you were a couple of years ago with him, the interview you did in which you spoke about him, to where we are now?

NICK KYRGIOS: Well, I think I've had relationships in the past where you have a certain feeling about someone, or they do certain things that rub you the wrong way, anything like that.

But I think the challenge that he faced a year ago, with the whole COVID situation, no one else really stood up for him. That was a real-life moment where the people that actually care about your well-being will stand up for you. I just did that. I felt that was necessary.

Obviously that was more important than anything I said previously or done previously. I went against my words and stood up for him in front of my country. That wasn't easy for me either. I dealt with a lot of criticism.

But obviously he appreciated that. Obviously we spoke after that. I've obviously grown up a lot since that interview I did.

Q. Do you regret it?

NICK KYRGIOS: I don't really regret anything. I think life is too short to regret. You kind of learn from these experiences. They're all kind of building blocks.

No, I don't regret it. At the same time I think it's made our relationship even more special now that it's kind of gone from a rough sort of place to now we're helping each other out on the biggest stage. We're just great competitors.

To think I'm able to do that with one of the greatest of all time is cool. I think my relationship with the big three is all different. I'm really close with Novak now. Quite close with Roger. And me and Rafa, we just do that when we walk past each other.

It's pretty cool.