Nick Kyrgios did not miss tennis or most of his fellow players during his year away from the game, the 25-year-old maverick said ahead of his return to action at an Australian Open warm-up event next week.
The outspoken Australian will take on Frenchman Alexandre Muller in the opening round of the Murray River Open on Monday, February 1 in what would be his first competitive match in a year.
“I’m not going to lie. I didn’t miss the game that much,” Kyrgios said on Saturday.
“I’m a competitor. I compete with everything I do. I was playing computer games, that kind of stuff, getting my little competitive edge there. I didn’t really miss the game at all.”
Kyrgios said he did not even touch a tennis racket for the first 4-5 months as he wanted to get away from the game.
“I don’t miss too many people on tour to be honest, apart from all the Australian guys and a couple of good friends.”
He criticized world No. 1 Novak Djokovic earlier this month after the Serbian had asked the Australian Open organizers to ease quarantine restrictions for players. (READ: Djokovic is our LeBron but we have to call him out sometimes – Kyrgios)
Kyrgios said he was lucky to have spent a “crazy year” with his family and friends before resuming training with compatriot Jordan Thompson.
“I feel mentally completely refreshed, ready to go again.”
“I feel like I am playing well and am ready to go. Everyone is really playing it by ear. Nobody really knows who is in form and who is not.
“I’m going to take it day by day and try to enjoy myself as much as I can.”
Australian Open players out of quarantine
With quarantine over for almost all of the tennis players who have traveled to Melbourne for the Australian Open, the preparations begin in earnest when a packed week of warm-up events gets underway on Sunday.
Serena Williams and Ash Barty headline two WTA tournaments – the Yarra Valley Classic and the Gippsland Trophy – which start on the Melbourne Park courts normally reserved for the Grand Slam.
Tennis Australia have arranged 6 events before the start of the Australian Open to allow players a chance of some match action after two weeks in quarantine hotels.
Most of the players were able to train for up to 5 hours per day during their isolation but 72 were confined to their hotel rooms after fellow passengers on their flights to Australia tested positive for COVID-19.
Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley said those players would be given priority treatment over the next few days and he was confident they would be ready to go for the first day of the Australian Open on February 8.
“We’ve given 9 days between them coming out of quarantine to when they really need to play at the Australian Open,” he told reporters at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
“While in an athletes’ mind that might not be perfectly ideal, it is enough time to be as ready as you possibly can.”
Fans of men’s tennis will have to wait until Monday to get their first fix of the action when the Murray River Open and Great Ocean Road Open ATP warm-ups will get underway, also at the Grand Slam venue.
The men’s draws at the warm-ups are weaker because top players like Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Dominic Thiem will be representing their countries in the ATP Cup team tournament, which was pushed back until Tuesday to allow the athletes more time to prepare.
Kyrgios leads the field at the Murray River Open after his 11-month absence from action resulted in him missing the ATP Cup because of a rankings slump.
“I feel like I am playing well and am ready to go,” he said on Saturday.
“Everyone is really playing it by ear. Nobody really knows who is in form and who is not. I’m going to take it day-by-day and try to enjoy myself as much as I can.” – Rappler.com
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