Australian Open: Nick Kyrgios calls being a title contender ‘stressful’, makes it hard to focus
- Talented but temperamental 27-year-old says it is a ‘privilege’ to be considered a favourite in his home grand slam
- Kyrgios faces tough route to the final, with Novak Djokovic potentially waiting in the last eight
Nick Kyrgios said that expectations he can go far at next week’s Australian Open were stressful and made it hard to focus.
But the divisive Australian also said he was humbled to be in a position where people considered him in with a real shot of winning his home grand slam.
The talented but temperamental 27-year-old said it was a “privilege to go out there and feel that Australia wants me to win”.
“I think everyone wants to get to a position in their sport or their profession, be one of the best and have that expectation and pressure,” he said.
“But there’s a lot of stress as well. I see it everywhere, on social media, everyone talking about it. How are you feeling about Australian Open? You’re one of the favourites. It’s hard to kind of just focus on what I need to do.”
While his frequent tantrums have long overshadowed his talent, the Australian had a stellar 2022, making a barnstorming run to a first grand slam singles final at Wimbledon, before losing to Novak Djokovic.
