Nick Kyrgios admits winning Grand Slams is ‘not a goal’ as he prefers to ‘banter around’ and ‘chill out’

ATP Tour

Shahida Jacobs
June 9, 2020

Nick Kyrgios insists winning Grand Slams is not high on his list of priorities, adding that he prefers to “be on the beers every time he plays”.

Many believe Kyrgios has the game to win majors, but so far he has reached only two Grand Slam quarter-finals while he is yet to reach the world top 10 as he has a career-high ranking of 13.

The Australian, though, is the first to admit that he doesn’t put enough effort in to consistently challenge at the top.

“It doesn’t excite me because I’d much rather just have a fun week or fun week and a half, make the quarters or a semi-final with the boys [and] banter around,” he told his Elliot Loney’s podcast

“By that time my body would be absolutely spent anyway. I don’t believe my body will hold up for seven matches at a Grand Slam, potentially playing three to four hours (each match), but I am okay with that.”

Nick Kyrgios reveals he was ‘still hungover’ when he beat Rafael Nadal at 2017 Cincinnati Masters

Kyrgios has been without a coach for several years now and tennis greats and former world No 1s John McEnroe and Boris Becker have offered to join his team.

However, the reigning world No 40 is adamant he doesn’t want a coach and again touched on the fact that winning Grand Slams is not the be all and end all.

“Having a coach for me, personally, is a little bit of a waste of money because I think they get paid way too much,” he said.

“Physically I know I can get better, I can get fitter, I can get stronger, but I don’t need someone to tell me that. I don’t really think a coach would add any value to me.

He added: “I just don’t think a coach is ready to deal with the whole rollercoaster of coaching me– and I’m not going to put them through it too because it would just be a nightmare.

“It’s not going to be what you think it is going to be, I guarantee that and I wouldn’t do it to them as I think it is selfish of me to go ‘I’m ready to get coached’ and then I put them through all this stuff.

“And, for me, I don’t have a goal of winning Grand Slams. I just want to do it my way, have fun with it and just play.

“To get a coach for me is pointless because I don’t want to waste their time. Why not work with someone who has all these goals and want to achieve all these things in this sport, work with them, not me.

“If I could, I’d just be on the beers every time I play – afterwards. I just want to chill out. I just think the sport’s taken a bit too seriously.”

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Nick Kyrgios