THE RISE AND RISE OF KING KYLE @Mike_Dickson_
Murray hails Edmund’s best win yet
Kyle edmund knew the amount of sweat it had taken to make the fourth round of the Australian Open, because of the salt deposits he found on his shirt.
It fairly poured out of him as he battled to a brave, if sometimes ugly victory that has put him one step from a first Grand Slam quarter-final.
By the time he faces Italy’s Andreas Seppi he will have spent 48 hours trying to put back in what was lost from playing for more than three and a half hours in heat that hovered either side of the 40°C mark.
Conditions are expected to be far more comfortable when he meets the world no 76, who has had some of his best results at melbourne park, including a win over Roger Federer in 2015. But make no mistake, this is a very favourable draw for this stage.
‘everyone is different in how they sweat. As it turns out, I’m quite a salty sweater, so you can see on my shirt it had white lines on it,’ revealed a shattered edmund after he beat nikoloz Basilashvili 7-6, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5. ‘It’s white where it has dried up, salty fluid. I always put a lot of salt on food, especially after matches like this because you’ve got to replace it.’
The effort of edmund, just turned 23, was reckoned to be the best of his career by Andy murray, watching and tweeting in the middle of the night back home in england. Two years ago the British no 2 — who could overtake the absent murray as no 1 by the end of spring — cramped badly here when subsiding to Bosnian damir dzumhur 6-1 in a fifth set. many matches later, it is a different story. not only is he fitter, but he has also made progress in eradicating a habit from last season of being edged out of deciding sets.
John mcenroe remarked on eurosport: ‘A year ago you might have expected him to cramp up and go away.’
edmund is an understated sort who has almost been too polite in the past. Brought up in yorkshire, he is not out of the Geoff Boycott mould. yet, as watching davis Cup captain leon Smith pointed out, he has managed to become less self-effacing on court.
‘you look to his body language now compared to 12 months ago, it’s different,’ said Smith, who in a fortnight will captain edmund in this year’s first round against Spain in marbella. ‘He is fistpumping. Because of his personality, he’s had to go through a stage where it doesn’t feel natural and it’s a bit forced. He’s played in the davis Cup final, played away in Serbia. He’s played a ton of big matches now — djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium. He’s well prepared, he’s a good lad in a really good headspace and he’s got game.
‘We’ve seen a couple of times where he’s struggled in these sort of positions. He’s matured a lot. you could see he was managing himself, the way he was breathing between points, showing a good amount of heart, guts, courage. I think that’s a really important win.’
edmund now works with two coaches, Britain’s mark Hilton and Fredrik Rosengren, an experienced Swede known for his passion and intensity. Smith identified one of the changes they have made: ‘you must see the improvements in his serve. The rhythm and timing is a slight technical adjustment which is paying dividends. His serve speeds in the fifth set reflect that.’
He is also getting more balls back on the return, less inclined to take a full swing and happier to chip or block the ball back.
DeSpITe his decent record at this event, Seppi represents a major opportunity for the young yorkshireman. ‘I played him once in Antwerp and I beat him in straight sets. He’s a guy who works off timing,’ said edmund of the 33-year-old, who beat Ivo Karlovic after soaking up 52 aces.
‘He doesn’t have huge firepower but especially in these conditions the ball flies through anyway. He seems to play well here, he’s beaten nick (Kyrgios) and Roger.’
It was certainly not pretty against Basilashvili, and the second game of the fourth lasted 20 minutes and had eight deuces — longer than the rest of the set. This match should be more elegant.
The winner will meet whoever emerges from what should be the match of the fourth round, Kyrgios versus Grigor dimitrov, both extravagant and, as yet, unfulfilled talents.