Underdog Kyle ready to tear up the script
TOP TIPS: Edmund gets some advice from coach Rosengren ahead of his meeting with Cilic ON PAPER, it looks like mission impossible: the world No49 who has never reached a major semi-final before against the world No6 former US Open champion and Wimbledon finalist.
In reality, this is Kyle Edmund’s great chance. If he can beat Marin Cilic here today, he will be in the Australian Open final. The form book is irrelevant, the stats are worthless. Edmund may be a quiet soul, one not given to great shows of emotion, but he thrives on the big stage.
On Tuesday, he got his first taste of life in the 15,000-seater Rod Laver Arena when he beat Grigor Dimitrov. And he loved every moment of it. Today, it will be packed and the atmosphere will be electric – the Australian crowd loves an underdog and Edmund fits that bill.
Fortunately for him, it is a night match so the 29C heat forecast for today will have subsided a little by the time he gets on court although with the threat of rain, it will be humid. This will be a test of physical endurance and mental strength.
“It’s going to be a tough match but I feel good about my game,” said Edmund. “I’m in a good place, so I’m just really looking forward to it.”
Cilic, he of the pounding serve, has been playing well but today all the pressure will be on him. He is supposed to beat Edmund, he is seeded to do Marin Cilic
Croatian
so – and if he does not, he will be scarred by the thought of missing a golden opportunity to reach another Major final.
It is match-ups such as this that Edmund’s coach, Fredrik Rosengren, relishes. He is trying to teach his charge how to play the man and the occasion as much as he is discussing tactics and technicalities.
“You have to learn to start playing depending on the scoreboard,” said Rosengren. “Take risks if it is 30-0, or first point of the game, depending how you’re playing.
“But you also have to be able to put the ball in the court if the pressure is coming from the other side of the net.
“This is what I tried to teach Kyle, to understand the game, keep the eye open – if you see him cramp, or if you maybe see him be nervous. You have to look the other side of the net, not just go like this [with your chin on chest looking down]. You can’t just be thinking about your game.”
Rosengren is everything Edmund is not. A livewire in the players’ box, he cheers every point, he cannot sit still, he is involved in every second of the match. He is also talkative, expressive and easy going with strangers. The combination of direct opposites has brought the NATIONALITY AGE HEIGHT WEIGHT RANKING PLAYING STYLE TITLES WON GRAND SLAMS PLAYED BEST GRAND SLAM RESULTS PRIZE MONEY Kyle Edmund
British
best out of Edmund in just three short months, and when the quiet Yorkshireman directs a shy fist pump at Rosengren after winning a point, his newfound confidence and belief is galvanised even further by the bundle of energy he sees urging him on.
“It’s good to obviously see that,” said Edmund. “It’s great to have someone in your corner who is really engaged like that.
“At the same time it has to come internally from yourself, that drive and that firepower.
“It is good to look over and see they [his team] are really pumped for you, especially when you get in those close moments at the end of sets, that’s when you can really feed off them and become really gritty and tough to beat.”
Edmund has played Cilic once before and lost in straight sets. But that was in October, when Rosengren was just watching and assessing him. It was the trial period before the Swede committed himself to Edmund’s future.
Three months on, Edmund is a different player, a player ready to win the biggest match on the biggest stage. “He will be fine,” said Rosengren.
“He’s very relaxed and this is the nicest part, that he is growing as a person. Then he grows as a player automatically.”
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