A dejected Nick Kyrgios bowed out of the Sydney International, losing his first competitive match in over four months to Pole Jerzy Janowicz 6-1, 6-7 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5).
The world number 50 was smashed all over the court in the first set by his big serving opponent, struggling to get into rhythm, with a back strain that has kept him out for over two weeks seemingly getting the better of him.
Despite taking the match to an eventual tight three sets, the result suggests the 19-year-old is still well underdone coming into the year’s first grand slam starting Monday.
Nick’s mother Nill Kyrgios told Neos Kosmos despite the injury and limited practice he was still disappointed in his game.
“His shots [were limited] and we could see that, but I think Nick just being Nick he’s disappointed in himself thinking he should have done better, I guess, but he played so well all things considered. He didn’t lose his nerve, he was fantastic, he didn’t hit a ball out of court he didn’t break a racquet, it was just fantastic,” Nill said.
She admitted her son was underprepared going into the Australian Open, with a lack of match practice hindering his preparations.
But there is good news for Australia’s top ranked men’s player, with his physiotherapist reassuring him the damage is sustainable.
“The pain is there [but] his physiotherapist is constantly informing him that it will not get any worse. In saying that, it will get a lot better if he doesn’t play, but if he does play and manages the injury, the pain and the body, it will not get any worse,” Nill said.
“He really needs to stretch and become a bit more flexible. The more he loosens up, the easier it becomes, as you could see on the court [Tuesday]. Once he gradually got into it and warmed up the back it was a massive help.”
Kyrgios is coming into 2015 after a breakout 2014 and has found praise from world number one Novak Djokovic, but the external pressures and expectations are not something he gets too involved with.
Despite his social character he tends not to talk about his fame and achievements thus far, Nill said.
“We’re trying to get him to talk about it more, what the expectation is and trying to nut out whether we care about expectations. I mean he’s a showman, he loves being out there.”
“The [crowd] expectation is there and I don’t know, it’s hard, but Nick deals with it differently through the media, he’s very good, he hides his true nerves. He speaks well, he’s cool, calm and collected and says the right things and I think that’s just him being intelligent,” Nill said.
Despite feeling “devastated” and “slightly helpless” when it comes to his injuries, Nill is enjoying having her son home for an extended period, and is doing everything she can to help him prepare for Melbourne. Kyrgios will stay in Australia beyond the Open to fully recover before his next tournament in France, in a bid to continue working his way up the ranks.
“Now that he’s in the 50 his main aim is to play a full tour and to stay as injury free as possible but he has to commit. He has to build strength, build his core and maintain his body and complete the tour up until the tail end.”