Lone-wolf Nick not in hunt for a coach
A COACHLESS Nick Kyrgios says he will head into another Australian summer circuit a more professional and organised player than he has been in the past.
Kyrgios, 22, said he had put enough off-season rehabilitation into a hip injury that dogged much of his 2017 campaign and would benefit from reducing the off-season basketball he plays.
Kyrgios, Australia’s world No.21, starts his season at the Brisbane International from Sunday week and had a lighthearted hit at Pat Rafter Arena yesterday with girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic, the fourth-ranked Australian woman.
He ran out of petrol in a five-set loss to Italian Andreas Seppi in the first week of the 2017 Australian Open and has not made the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam since the 2015 Australian Open.
“I feel more ready than I did last year. I’ve taken care of my body a bit more,’’ Kyrgios said.
“I have been doing rehab every day. It’s where I think my discipline has improved. It (his hip) feels pretty good.
“I am looking after a lot of things better, looking after my diet better, training a bit harder in the gym and doing a lot of rehab.
“I feel I’ve done everything I can (to have a good Australian summer). I have time to find my feet.’’
Kyrgios had Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean travel to some tournaments with him as a coach this year, but the player who marches to the beat of his own drum intends to have no coach with him at upcoming tournaments.
He will be able to tap into the knowledge of Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and coach Jason Stoltenberg at his two summer tournaments.
As the prospective fourth seed for the Brisbane International, Kyrgios would have a first-round bye and not play his opening match before Wednesday, January 3.
After an informal association with the retired Radek Stepanek at a couple of tournaments, he did nothing to change the Czech’s mind when he was sought as a coach by Novak Djokovic for the new season.
“I don’t have a coach. I will go about my thing, the same I did this year,” he said.
“I think I know how to play the game pretty well.
“I can always learn new things, but I don’t know about bringing someone on.
“I’ve done it pretty much all alone the past three years.
“To bring someone in, it’s tough to know if they are just doing it for the sake of getting some cash or if they have (my) best interests at heart.’’
I DON’T HAVE A COACH. I WILL GO ABOUT MY THING ...
NICK KYRGIOS