CRUNCH TIME FOR EDMUND
Rising stars are now a real concern for Briton
KYLE EDMUND acquitted himself admirably in what is by far the toughest test in tennis — playing Novak Djokovic on a hard court.
It was a great marker for the 21-year-old from Yorkshire and he detained the world No1 for 80 minutes before losing 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Miami Open.
But the reality is that he should be more concerned about what is coming up behind him than what is way out in front.
By the time he reaches his peak, Djokovic and Andy Murray — playing overnight against Denis Istomin — will have gone but the signs are increasing of a high-quality generation emerging.
Edmund has the potential to go much further but he will be aware that the new wave is coming and, in some cases, they are a few years younger than him.
Some of them come from success-starved America and the most exciting, going by recent months, is 18-year-old Taylor Fritz.
The young Californian looks to be the whole package — and marketable to boot — with an athletic physique and all the attributes to succeed in the modern game.
On Friday he took Spaniard David Ferrer to a first-set tiebreak and, although he subsided after losing it, he showed enough to suggest he will be a genuine threat.
The son of Kathy May, a former player who reached Wimbledon’s fourth round in 1977 and the US Open last eight a year later, he might be the player the Americans have longed for.
Other names in their late teens from the States to keep an eye on are Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Michael Mmoh.
They will surely challenge European contemporaries, who are slightly ahead of them at the moment, notably Croatia’s Borna Coric and Germany’s Alex Zverev, the latter of whom looks to have huge potential.
And it is worth remembering that Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, for all his infamy, has not yet turned 21 and has all the tools to be the best, providing he can stay healthy.
So there is much for Edmund to watch out for, although he has the discipline and an eagerness to learn that will be very useful in the years ahead.
The Brit was brave against Djokovic. His seeming fear of going anywhere near the net is a concern, for ultimately he will need to broaden out his game to complement his big forehand, which is a considerable weapon by anyone’s standards.
‘I feel like I did put my game out there and tried to play some aggressive tennis but you need to find the right balance,’ said Edmund, who displayed similar composure when he went two sets up against David Goffin in the Davis Cup final before collapsing.
‘It was a great experience to play someone like Novak. It’s one thing to watch him on TV but it was something else to play him. It showed I can be aggressive, I just need to find the right balance.
‘At the end he just said to me well done, keep playing like that and you will have a great future ahead, so that was nice to hear.’
Djokovic confirmed he was impressed: ‘He (Edmund) has a big forehand, is strong physically, his movement will improve and he will gain more experience of playing in big matches.
‘But I was pleasantly and positively surprised by his game, his behaviour, his attitude on and off the court.’