EDMUND: IT’S MY TIME NOW
Kyle relishes being British No 1 after slaving in Andy’s shadow
WHEN Kyle Edmund walks on court tomorrow as British No 1 at Wimbledon, he will sense the history and reflect on how far he has come. His earliest memory of SW19 is Tim Henman swinging his way into the semi-finals with a black and bronze Slazenger racket. Back then, this humble boy from Beverley in Yorkshire never thought he would compete on such a stage, let alone as Britain’s top-ranking male. Yet now Edmund feels the time has come to write his own chapter in the sport’s history books, especially given Andy Murray’s withdrawal yesterday. ‘The responsibility and attention you have being British No 1 at Wimbledon, it’s something I’ve grown into,’ Edmund says. ‘I had more ambition as I got older. Wimbledon is pretty much the home of tennis. It’s like the Masters in golf. It’s the one everyone wants to win, especially being British. It definitely has that presence. It’s hard to describe. You have that sometimes when you meet people. As they walk into a room, you can really sense just what they’re about. ‘Wimbledon has that feel about it as a place. You know you’re at something special. It would be great to do well there and be in the Wimbledon books. That is always the goal.’ Edmund reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open in January and knows there will be expectation on him as British No 1 here. He is realising how much more recognisable it makes him — the number of requests for autographs and selfies has spiked since he took over the mantle from Murray in March. At the time of leapfrogging the injured Scot, Edmund seemed to shrug it off. As far as he was concerned, it was not a fair fight because Murray had been out for so many months. Now, with his compatriot back on the circuit though out of Wimbledon, the world No 18 wants a legitimate battle. ‘I would love to keep it long term,’ Edmund says of his No 1 position. ‘In terms of keeping that, I guess it is up to me how I do. It will be my first time at Wimbledon as British No 1, so I don’t know what to expect, but I am sure it is a good position to be in and a nice problem to have.’ Can he win a Grand Slam? ‘Yes, I believe my game is good enough. I know my game is improving on the right track,’ he says. ‘You always have to be realistic. I am 23 and the guys who are winning Slams at the minute are in their thirties. There is still a long way to go. ‘I would rather just do it than talk about doing this and that. It’s easy to talk about it but it’s so much harder to do it. That’s the true test. ‘Ultimately I am British No 1, top 20 in the world.’ Edmund has not enjoyed the greatest of experiences at the All England Club. He was defeated in the first round for four straight years, then lost in the second round to Gael Monfils last year. Yet this time, as home favourite, he will hope to ride the wave of expectation to the second week.