Rod Laver praises Nick Kyrgios transformation after Wimbledon final mistake

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Australian tennis legend Rod Laver has expressed his relief at seeing Nick Kyrgios realise some of his potential this year.

After a difficult 2021, Kyrgios has had an unforgettable 2022 to date, winning the Australian Open men’s doubles title before making the singles final at Wimbledon.

The 27-year-old also beat Daniil Medvedev at the US Open in early September when the Russian was still world number one. 

Laver believes Kyrgios has always had the skill to become one of the game’s best players but struggled to apply himself consistently in matches. 

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For Laver, that lack of application was down to Kyrgios not fully believing in his abilities.

Laver suggested Kyrgios never felt he could beat Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final this year and it was only afterwards that the Aussie realised he was good enough to have won. 

“Kyrgios has all the ability in the world, every shot that you could wish to make,” Laver said in an interview with The Telegraph.

“He’s probably one of the biggest servers in the game. He’s accurate, he can play under pressure.

“I was thrilled when he reached the final, but he didn’t think he could win Wimbledon. In my mind, I said, ‘Hey, put in your best performance. You may surprise yourself.’

“A month or two later, I said, ‘You can win some of these matches. Why don’t you apply yourself, man?’

“He realised, ‘Sh*t, I am good enough, I can do this.’ That was the greatest thing that happened to him.

“But he knows that he can play and compete now. Don’t walk on the court thinking, ‘If I get three games, that’s enough.’ Now he’s thinking, ‘Next year? Wimbledon? You’re going to see a different player.’”

Kyrgios made the quarter-finals of this year’s US Open and revealed post-match just how desperate he is to win a maiden Grand Slam title. 

The Aussie is set to return to the court in early October at the Tokyo Open and has also hinted he may look to play the Paris Masters to round out the year. 

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