KYRGIOS LAMENTS ‘DIABOLICAL’ YEAR FROM HELL
NICK Kyrgios is banking on the hope of Davis Cup glory to erase memories of a depressing grand slam season.
Devastated after a 6-3 1-6 6-4 6-1 first-round US Open loss to Queensland’s John Millman, Kyrgios described his 2017 battle with injury as “diabolic.”
And he admitted he doesn’t care enough to commit fully to tennis, suggesting coach Sebastien Grosjean would be better off with a more dedicated player.
“I keep letting people down,” Kyrgios said in a post-match confessional, conceding there were more focused players who would be a better fit for Grosjean.
“I’m not good enough for him. He’s very dedicated. He’s an unbelievable coach.
“He probably deserves a player that is probably more dedicated to the game than I am. He deserves a better athlete than me.”
Asked to elaborate, Kyrgios said: “I’m not dedicated to the game at all.”
“There are players out there that are more dedicated, that want to get better, that strive to get better every day. The ‘one-percenters.’ I’m not that guy.”
Kyrgios was hampered by shoulder soreness in his fifth consecutive grand slam loss to a lower-ranked player.
“I wasn’t feeling it at all and then on one serve I lost power in my arm. Just on my serve,” Kyrgios said.
“One serve, then completely dead. It’s so dead and numb. It’s incredibly weak. It’s just so annoying.
“The last three months has been a nightmare, really.
“I have had a diabolic year at these slams. It doesn’t surprise me. It’s just the story of my career, really. I will have good weeks; I’ll have bad.”
Meanwhile, in-form Daria Gavrilova is staying cool after giving Australia’s women their best start to the Open in more than 30 years.
Gavrilova extended her hardcourt winning streak to six matches with a 6-2 6-1 rout of Allie Kiick to join Ashleigh Barty, Arina Rodionova and Ajla Tomljanovic as first-round winners.