Kyrgios has a lot to handle as new Aus Open expectations weigh heavy

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Nick Kyrgios has opened up on the extra expectations placed on his shoulders ahead of the Australian Open. The world No 22 said it was “hard being me” as he said everyone in his home country was expecting him to do big things in the first Major of 2023 after he reached his maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon this year and won the men’s doubles title in Melbourne Park.

Kyrgios has enjoyed a career-best year that saw him reach his first Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon, win his seventh career singles title in Washington and rise from No 134 in the world back inside the top 20, ending the year at No 22. He also tasted success in the doubles, lifting the Australian Open men’s doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis which helped the pair qualify for the ATP Finals.

The 27-year-old will return to his home Grand Slam tournament as a different player next month following his successful 2022 season, and says the pressure will be higher than ever as he now enters the Australian Open as a contender for the title. “I always believe that pressure is a privilege,” he told Eurosport.

“In real life, there’s not much pressure to being a professional tennis player. We earn great money, we travel around the world with our favourite people. We get to see different people, different cultures.”

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While he was happy to embrace the extra weight on his shoulders, the Canberra native admitted it could be difficult to handle at times. Kyrgios continued: “In the scheme of things, that’s not pressure but I completely understand going on the match court with all this expectation that ‘Nick Kyrgios is legitimate chance to win a Grand Slam now’, there’s a lot of pressure there especially having the Australian Open and everyone in Australia expecting big things from me.

“It’s a lot to handle sometimes. Being in the spotlight is not easy.” The seven-time title winner has been known for his on-court outbursts, earning him the reputation of the ‘bad boy of tennis’ but has been able to buckle down and defeat the best in the world recently, explaining that he turned the new expectations on his shoulders into extra motivation.

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“I feel like I’ve embraced that and I’ve taken that challenge on. It’s not easy, I’ve really worked hard to try and channel it, internalise it and use it as fuel,” the former world No 13 said, though he felt the pressure would never stop. “It’s always hard being me,” Kyrgios added.

 “When I win a tournament or win something of value, they always want more. It’s never like, ‘OK, it’s time to rest’, it’s like, ‘right, do it again’ or ‘do it now’. I’ve learnt that the people will never have enough. For me, I’ve achieved some great things in this sport and where I came from. I know I’m content with myself. I want to achieve more for myself, but for all of my team, not for anyone else.”

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