Nick Kyrgios is happy to be considered a title favorite at the 2023 Australian Open. “I think everyone wants to get to a position in their sport or profession, be one of the best and have that expectation and pressure,” the Australian said best.
classified. “It’s a privilege to go out there and feel like Australia want me to win and be one of the favourites.” The 27-year-old is set to make his tenth straight main draw appearance at his home Grand Slam. “I came into the Australian Open here about eight or nine years ago as a wild card,” Kyrgios noted.
“Now to see how my career has developed, to get to a point where everyone expects me to win and go far, it’s a good feeling.” Kyrgios’ previous best Australian Open result is a quarterfinal appearance in 2015. But after the best season of his career in 2022, which saw him reach the Wimbledon singles final and win the Australian Open doubles title, Australian Open with Thanasi Kokkinakis, expectations are high.
As he prepares for a first-round clash with world number 98 Roman Safiullin, Kyrgios admits that his favorite tag comes with “a lot of stress.” “I see it everywhere, on social media, everyone is talking about it. ‘How do you feel about the Australian Open? You’re one of the favourites,’” said the 2013 AO men’s singles champion.
“It’s hard to just focus on what I have to do”. The world number 21 has also had a busy week. On Thursday night he walked the red carpet at Netflix’s world premiere of Break Point, a documentary series in which he appears heavily.
He faced Novak Djokovic in a charity practice match in front of a sellout crowd at Rod Laver Arena on Friday night, before returning to court today for the Australian Open Kids’ Tennis Day.
Kyrgios on his contribution to tennis
Nick Kyrgios recently discussed his contribution to tennis and his massive fan base.
“I play up the show a little bit, the entertainment and all that type of stuff. But I think what I’ve done for tennis is unquestioned,” he said. “Apart from Novak, Nadal and Federer, I’m the most followed person on social media and I’m probably the most watched,” Nick Kyrgios said.
“I could feel that Nadal knew my level was there at 19 to be able to beat some of the best in the world. I just remember as soon as that match ended, it was like I arrived with a whole mountain of expectation,” Kyrgios said.
