‘Just to be happy, that’s the goal. I’m not a results-based guy,’ says Nick Kyrgios as he eyes 2021 return

ATP Tour
Nick Kyrgios press conference

He misses the adrenaline rush he gets from playing competitively in front of thousands of people, but Nick Kyrgios believes the extended break from tennis this year will do him the world of good.

The Australian’s last ATP Tour match was at the end of February before tennis went on an enforced hiatus due to the coronavirus and, even though the sport resumed in August, Kyrgios opted to call an early end to his 2020 campaign.

The 25-year-old believes the complete break from tennis was a blessing.

“It [playing against the best players and in front of fans] is something I’m craving and missing. But having said that, it’s given me time to focus on some of the basics in life that I’ve maybe overlooked or just missed out on in the last couple of years in my life,” he told ESPN.

 

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Haha @alexdeminaur I miss points and moments like this 🥺😅 Iron sharpens Iron ⚔️

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He added: “When I was travelling all the time and playing and never really home, I had the perspective that ‘tennis wasn’t everything.’ It was all one big blur, I could never really just sit and appreciate the little things and sit in one spot. If I lost, I’d be flying to the next place, staying in a different hotel every week.

“I was almost crying out for a pause on the Tour so I could get back home and be with my family.”

Kyrgios is expected to make his competitive return at the Australian swing at the beginning of 2021, culminating in the Australian Open.

This year’s Australian Open was a special one for Kyrgios and not necessarily because of his performances on court as he lost in four sets against Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. He was at the forefront of tennis campaigns raising money for bushfire relief efforts in Australia.

And his good work didn’t stop after the Australian Open as he helped out children through The NK Foundation during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Fingers crossed my body stays healthy so I can compete and be out there and play well. And that means I can continue to help and use my platform. The better I play, I can continue to help with my foundation [The NK Foundation], and that’s what fuels me,” he said.

“Just to be happy, that’s the goal. I’m not a results-based guy, like I wasn’t playing for me [at the Australian Open], I was playing for the bushfires.

“As long as my mind is in the right place, I think everything else will follow.”

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