Team spirit fires up Kyrgios
NICK Kyrgios is relishing being in the “best” mental shape of his career and credited the camaraderie of Australia’s Davis Cup team for his ominous form during the US hardcourt swing.
The world number 16 pushed Roger Federer to the wall in a classic Miami Open semifinal on Friday and beat world number two Novak Djokovic twice in succession in the past month.
The emotional 21-year-old now carries Australia’s hopes of reaching the Davis Cup semifinals when the hosts play the US in Brisbane this weekend.
Having long felt ambivalent toward the sport and admitted to struggling for motivation, Kyrgios has brought a new intensity to training and a stronger focus on court.
“I think my level’s always been there but I think where I’m at mentally at the moment, I’m just competing for every point and playing hard and I haven’t really had that mind-set before,” Kyrgios told reporters in Brisbane yesterday.
“I’m feeling motivated and I want to get out there more. I want to compete and I want to play. I’m probably in the best place I’ve ever been in.”
It was little more than two months ago that Kyrgios bowed out of the Australian Open in acrimony, jeered by home spectators after giving up a two-set lead in defeat to Italian Andreas Seppi.
Kyrgios’s commitment to the team tournament has not always been so wholehearted.
He was reported to have said, “I don’t want to be here” during a singles rubber defeat during the 2015 quarterfinal against Kazakhstan in Darwin and withdrew from last year’s first round tie against the US in Melbourne, citing “illness”.
That withdrawal prompted criticism from teammate Bernard Tomic, who publicly upbraided him for the decision to pullout.
Kyrgios returned to the fold for the World Group playoff win over Slovakia and has been a fixture since.
He said the win over Czech Republic had worked wonders for his motivation.
“I think the last Davis Cup tie helped me a lot.
“Ever since then I’ve been in a good mental space,” he said.
“I prefer the team environment, I love being around these guys, I love training with them and I love being on the sidelines watching them compete.” — Reuters