‘It makes you sad’ – Nick Kyrgios opens up on homesickness after overcoming JJ Wolf in US Open third round
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ByEurosport
Updated 03/09/2022 at 08:43 GMT
On the surface, everything is going Nick Kyrgios' way. He is arguably in the form of his life and is into the US Open fourth round where he will play Daniil Medvedev, just weeks after he beat the Russian at the Canadian Open. But the Australian admits he is “struggling” being away from home so much. He said: "I try not to talk about it too much. I don't know, it makes you sad a little bit."
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Nick Kyrgios is arguably in the form of his life and is into the US Open fourth round – but the Australian admits he is “struggling” being away from home so much.
The 27-year-old beat up-and-coming American JJ Wolf with ease, needing less than two hours to win 6-4 6-2 6-3 and set up a mouth-watering clash with world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev.
Having overcome the Russian in the Canadian Open just last month, Kyrgios may well be confident of getting the better of Medvedev once more.
It has been a successful couple of months for Kyrgios. After making the final at Wimbledon only to lose to Novak Djokovic, he went on to capture the Citi Open. However, all of his exploits appear to have come at a cost, with Kyrgios feeling some homesickness.
Following his victory over Wolf, Kyrgios was asked how he was dealing with being away from home for so long, to which he responded: “I'm struggling with it, to be honest.
“I think a big part of me would love to just be home with my girlfriend and see our families and have that comfortable type of lifestyle. But this is just what I do.
“It's fun at times obviously going to new places, meeting new people, seeing the world. It's fun. But it's hard. Because we text message, we try and FaceTime, but it doesn't do it justice. You miss crucial moments of life.
“I personally struggle with it because I value those little homes at home. Obviously I'm a tennis player who doesn't play a heavy schedule because of that reason. I don't want to miss those moments. Especially when they're significant moments like my mum's birthday, when she's not healthy, in and out of hospital.
“It's hard to put that like out of your mind while you're on the road. I'm at the US Open. Reality is I'm at the US Open. I'm one of the favourites. I'm expecting myself to do well. I'm just going to have to carry on.
“But obviously, yeah, I've got one eye on home after this tournament. It's hard. Only Australians understand that. No other tennis player understands what it's like to be on the road for that long. No one does. It's hard. Something they don't have to deal with.
“Yeah, I try not to think about it. I try not to talk about it too much as well. I don't know, it makes you sad a little bit.”
There were few signs that Kyrgios’ mind was at home as he brushed aside Wolf at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The 23rd seed fended off all seven break points he faced, including three at 0/40 in his opening service game of the third set.
“Well, I had to go out there and be very switched on from the get-go,” he continued.
“I knew the way JJ has been playing, he's had an amazing couple months. He's energy is infectious. I knew the crowd was going to start hopping onto his kind of game. He plays an exciting brand of tennis as well.
“He serves big. Takes a lot of risk. Doesn't play with much margin. I knew the crowd was going to start to get on top of that type of tennis.
“I could feel the momentum swinging a little bit in the third. I could hear them cheering his name. I am really happy with the way I got it done in straight sets. Keeping it under two hours is good. Obviously, this part of the tournament you want to be as fresh as possible. It doesn't get easier.”
Kyrgios was clearly happy with his performance – and admits he has been motivated by his critics.
“I was probably a lot better today,” he said.
“I thought I was much more composed today than I was in my second round. I actually tried to work on it today. I didn't want to be so up and down, so much of a roller coaster. For me and my team, I wanted us to kind of enjoy the way I'm playing, the form I have at the moment. It's amazing.
“It's good. We've all been away from home now for three and a half months, going onto four months. We all miss our families, we all miss home. I want to try to make this worthwhile and get the most out of it before we head home. I think it's going to make that time better.
“I feel like today we all should celebrate it. Straight set win in the third round. I've never been to the fourth round before of the US Open, so I feel like I've come a long way.”
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He continued: “I want to be playing on the biggest stadiums in the world in front of millions of people broadcasted globally. That's where I want to be. That is why I work hard. It makes it even sweeter. I know a lot of people don't want me to succeed. I know a lot of people hate my game, the way I do things, they way I go about it.
“I'm the only Australian still left on the men's side. It's the same story every time, literally every time in a Grand Slam.
“I always thrive on it. I never want to forget all the things people say. I always carry this chip on my shoulder. I have it all in the back of my head when I'm playing. I want to be there. I want to be on prime time. I want to be on that screen, the screen they're all watching.
“I embrace it. Win or lose, I'm proud of how far I've come.”
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