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With Nick Kyrgios, the show is always on and off the courts.
In a pre-tournament press conference, the current 40th in the world rankings returned on Sunday to his status as an eternal outsider on the London lawn.
“
I know that if I serve and play well, I can beat anyone.
I have dominated almost everyone in the previous tables.
I have to focus on the first laps, making sure I pass as quickly as possible.
But I don't think about winning the tournament right now,”
he explains.
If he never did better than a quarter-final in 2014, he often upset the big guns at Church Road.
“I played top 10 players and made them look pretty ordinary.
I know where my game is. I know that if I feel confident, I am capable of succeeding when I want to,”
he trumpeted.
In 2014, Kyrgios had revealed himself to the general public by eliminating world number one Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
Five years later, he lost in four very tight sets to the Spaniard in the second round.
Read alsoWimbledon: "I know I can do better", slips Djokovic, author of a new record
In 2021, the “bad boy” had proven (again) that he had a green thumb.
While he had not appeared on the circuit for almost four months and an elimination in Melbourne in the third round against Dominic Thiem, he had displayed an incredible level of play for a player who had only played two tournaments since. 16 months.
He had dominated Ugo Humbert (6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 9-7) in the first round, before giving up in the third, overtaken by his lack of play. For the first time since almost 500 days the Australian had left his island to play competitive tennis in his favorite tournament.
"
I take it as a vacation.
There, I'm taking a short trip to London, then I'll go to the Bahamas.
It's Wimbledon, the pinnacle of tennis.
I'm going to eat strawberries, hit a few serves and volleys, enjoy the grass and relax
,” he laughs.
Allergic to clay, Kyrgios returned to the courts during the grass tour.
Semi-finalist in Stuttgart and Halle, he proved that he was still just as dangerous on this surface.
In 2022, the tournament does not distribute points in the standings.
Not really a problem for him: “
I don't run after the rankings.
When I was a kid watching Wimbledon, I didn't think about ranking points.
I was thinking of one day playing the most prestigious tournament in the world.
That's all I'm here for.
There are people who say, "I'm not going to play Wimbledon because of the ranking points. I'm going to play a challenger that week."
When I sit with my kids, I won't be proud to say I played a challenger
(second division tournament)
instead of Wimbledon.
I will choose to play it every day of the week.”
Read alsoWimbledon: why this 2022 edition is (really) not like the others
And if he particularly appreciates the place, he still allowed himself in a press conference some small tackles towards the organization:
"I'm not really looking forward to playing the best of five sets in doubles (
Kyrgios is registered with his compatriot Kokkinakis, Ed).
I think it's the dumbest thing ever.
I don't know why it's still best of five sets.
And
, lèse-majesté, this basketball fan also declared that he would also rather wear black at Wimbledon than adhere to the all-white dress code.
Bad boy one day...
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