Nick Kyrgios Overcomes Daniil Medvedev

Nick Kyrgios

After halting the US Open championship defense of Daniil Medvedev and maintaining his No. 1 position, Nick Kyrgios sat in the Arthur Ashe Stadium locker room, filled with relief and pride.

Pride in the solid-returning, and big-serving performance that gave him a 7-6 (11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against Medvedev on Sunday. It was the most recent in a string of results that has drastically altered his career and propelled Kyrgios to a first Flushing Meadows quarterfinal. This comes after his run at Wimbledon saw him reach his first final in a Grand Slam final.

He expressed pride in overcoming “some extremely terrible moments, mentally,” as well as “some pretty terrifying areas” outside the court, which he initially highlighted in February. He went on to express pride in successfully removing himself from “feeling so unhappy all the time, so feeling sorry for myself.”

Nick Kyrgios Explains Himself

And a relief, as he played with the grey caps with the Boston Celtics sign he wore to the news conference after the match, at his ability to produce results when the spotlights are the most intense and the highest stakes, “because there’s just so much pressure every time I go out on the court, so much expectation, so much unpredictability of what I can do,” Nick Kyrgios explained.

Nick Kyrgios, the 23rd seed and 27-year-old Australian has never made it into the US Open’s fourth round until now, losing 0-4 at the third level. He’d also never managed to translate his undeniable talent into outstanding performance with the consistency he’s shown recently.

“I’m just thrilled I’m finally able to show New York my potential,” Nick Kyrgios commented after smacking 21 aces as well as going for broke while facing Medvedev. “I haven’t had many memorable vacations here.”