BEEF HAS RIGHT RECIPE
MURRAY’S JUST BLUFFING ...HE’LL BE WINNING TITLES FOR YEARS, SAYS KYRGIOS
NICK KYRGIOS has accused Andy Murray of “bluffing” after the world No.1 claimed he might only have a couple of years left competing for Major titles.
Aussie bad boy Kyrgios is in the same half of the draw for the AEGON Championships at Queen’s Club.
And he said: “How old is Andy now, 30? He has more than two years left at the top — he’s in unbelievable physical shape.
“The only thing I can see stopping him from playing is him actually not wanting to play any more, if he’s had enough of it.
“He doesn’t strike me as a guy who is going to stop playing – he’s bluffing.
“He’s unbelievable. He has more than two years.”
Five-time Queen’s winner Murray will meet Slovenia-born British No.4 Aljaz Bedene in their first round clash on Tuesday.
Kyrgios, in a revised draw after Jack Sock withdrew through injury, will face American Donald Young.
And Kyrgios, 22, will go into his game feeling fitter – mentally and physically – than he has for months.
He added: “I’m in really good shape THESE days he’s probably Andrew only to his mum. To the rest of us he’s simply ‘Beef’.
But the unassuming Andrew Johnston (right) – the boy from a London council estate – wouldn’t have it any other way.
And despite his humble origins there is nothing average about Johnston, as another impressive performance at this week’s US Open is now, I got an injection in my hip and my shoulder and I’ve been doing a lot of rehab.
“I took a week off after the French Open and I’m able to move without any pain in my hip. It has been a while since I have been able to do that so I’m pretty happy.
“My body is in way better nick than it was a couple of months ago.
“I was having hip pain for the last seven months so I have done everything now, rehabbing every day, and the injection really settled everything down in my hip.”
Kyrgios makes no secret of his battles with homesickness but the Australian is loving being in England.
He said: “I love the setting here, we have a house for the next couple of weeks, my mum’s here, my girlfriend is here, it just feels very homely.
“I’m getting better with the homesickness but it still affects me.
“When I am in Europe or on clay the homesickness just kicks in pretty much instantly. But when I am in London it feels like home. London or America feels like a bit of Australia.
“Living in a house with my mum cooking for me, I have that home feeling. It is good.” proving. At 28 and just three years after earning back his place on the European Tour, Johnston has racked up a top-10 finish at the Open, finishing eighth at Royal Troon last summer. In this, his second US Open, he looks on course to better his tied 54th place on his debut at Oakmont this time last year. “I get called Andrew now and then, although mostly it’s sarcastic when that happens,” Beef said.
“But if they look at me and see Beef the fun person, that’s cool.
“If they come to see Beef play golf then great, as long as people are having a good time and I’m playing well I’m happy. It’s a positive thing.
“I look at the best players in the world, I watch and learn from how they’re all calm and mentally strong. There’s no weaknesses.
“You need that calm, not to let yourself get carried away, and that’s helped me play really solid golf this week. This kind of position on this kind of stage is where I want to be.”