Greek Australian Nick Kyrgios made a fantastic comeback at the Mexico Open soaring his way 39 places to world number 33.
He more than halved his ranking in the period of one week, defeating Alexander Zverev in the finals to win his 5th ATP after taking out three Top-10 players including Rafael Nadal.
He said: “I think I’ve played a lot better, but this could be the best I’ve competed in a long time. I did everything I could on court, I tried 100 per cent. I think I’ve played much better tennis. It’s huge. To win a tournament like this, beating the players I beat, just gives me confidence.”
He told Tennis World that he felt “lucky and very fortunate” to be in that position. “And shows if I can do it – and I was going through some really rough times, was really battling mentally, seeing a psychologist – I just hope I’ve set a good example to people that are struggling”.
He said the win is “just the start” of his return. “I think I need to do a lot better and I need to work a lot harder.
“I think my game is top 10, but the things I do off court, my professionalism, my work ethic, is not top 10. I think I need to get those things right, to get into the top 10.
“When you look at Sascha, Rafa, Novak, every single day they’re doing the right things. And for me I’m not doing the right things yet. So hopefully maybe I can start doing that, and one day I can be top 10.”