N. KYRGIOS/A. Davidovich Fokina
7-5, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: It's been 16 days in the month of August. You've played 15 matches, singles and doubles. You've won 14 of those. How do you feel?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, feeling good obviously confidence-wise on the court. Feel like I'm striking the ball pretty well.
You know, I'm just obviously getting to the finish line of my trip. I can feel like it's nearly over. I've got US Open after this and then back home. That's kind of in the back of my mind. Just been giving everything every day on the practice court, match court.
Definitely can feel my tank getting to the end, and, you know, I have just gotta keep going, gotta keep going. Only two events left.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. I just wanted to ask about the few kind of fun points you had today. You seemed surprised by the last one especially.
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, he's a really talented player. I think out of the next gen he has so many options at his disposal. He's extremely talented. He's going to have a hell of a career.
Today was tough. Obviously quite hot, center court, middle of the day against a tricky player. I'm just happy to get through.
Q. It's been a few years since you have been in Cincinnati. How does it feel to be back?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, Cincy is quiet and it's a very chill place. I have played some amazing tennis here in my career, and I have also had some crazy outbursts, as well.
It's definitely a flip of the coin of what Kyrgios comes and shows up in Cincinnati, but hopefully this time around it's just a calm, collected -- you know, I just want to have a good week before I continue on the good habits and just give myself all the best for preparation for US Open.
Q. Your tactics are always pretty switched on. I think you mentioned recently how some other players are asking for your opinion. Is that something that came natural to you as a kid, or at some point you just sort of found it?
NICK KYRGIOS: I feel like I do my research on all the players, and I feel as if I have got a very good tennis brain. Watching tennis as a kid and all the tennis I have played and just how much I watch it, I kind of know everyone's strengths and weaknesses.
You know, I just feel like I know my game style well and what works. I feel obviously against someone like Fokina or Medvedev, de Minaur, these type of players, if I engage in too many rallies, it's not high percentage. I feel like tennis players get toward high percentages like playing crosscourt, for instance. But for me, that's not high percentage. That's not how I'm going to win matches is by playing easy balls crosscourt.
For 90% of players, that's high percentage, but for me that's very low-percentage tennis. That's not going to get it done. Against these types of players, I know I have to stay on top of the points, stay aggressive, you know, try and shorten the points where I can, serve and volley, mix it up, slice. I have got to play my type of tennis, and that's high percentage.
I feel like high percentage for tennis players is knowing what works for your game style and trying to execute at the highest level. I just feel like I'm really clear on what that is for my game, and I know how other people are trying to play.
That's the key to it. I feel like me not having a coach has worked. I think the last six months, I don't think many people have achieved that without a coach before, and I feel like that's just something that comes with confidence and knowing your game.
Q. Since you brought the outbursts up yourself, I was wondering, do you think that the Nick of 2022 could have the outbursts he had I think in 2019 it was?
NICK KYRGIOS: Oh, definitely. I feel like I have just been an emotional kind of tennis player my entire career. Ever since I picked up a racquet, my mum used to watch me throw tantrums and cry on the court and be emotional when I lost.
I think that's, in a way, just me showing that I do care about the result. I think that's important. You know, a kid should care about the result, and I have never really accepted losing, you know, without beating myself up after the match or during the match. You know, I have always cared about the results so much.
But I definitely feel like, yeah, it's a part of me that if I went out on the court and I was so emotional on every point and cared too much, I think you'd definitely see me throw my racquet. You rarely see me throw my racquet anymore. You get the occasionally outburst, but no more than another player.
I feel like that's something I've worked on majorly, obviously on the court, because off the court I'm super relaxed. You never get outbursts. I'm quite chilled out.
On the court, it's taken a lot of work to get to a point where it's like, This guy, you can clearly tell he's been working on things, he's his own personality, but he's kind of walking a fine line at times but he's worked on it.
I'm proud of that, that I'm able to play a match like today. There were a couple of outbursts here and there, but it's a kind of maintained mindset.
Q. Fritz has had a great year. Curious what you see in his game that's improved.
NICK KYRGIOS: I mean, obviously world-class serve, world-class serve, and his backhand is amazing. I feel like that's a shot -- his forehand obviously is the shot that he pulls the trigger on and he's extremely dangerous, but his backhand is just world class.
He can break the sideline crosscourt amazing, effortlessly. He's got the backhand line, great backhand return. Obviously his serve is just world class.
It's an extremely tough matchup for me. Obviously not going to get much rhythm. You know, he's extremely confident. He's one of the players I think that never doubts himself. He backs himself. He believes that he's one of the best players in the world. That's what makes him so dangerous. He's had wins over Nadal.
Yeah, he's the type of player that never lacks confidence, and players like that are capable of winning tournaments. As you know, Indian Wells just happens for him. You can't teach that. That's one thing that you can't teach tennis players is to have that ultimate confidence under pressure and belief in yourself. He's one of those players.
So I'm excited. It's the first time we have played each other, and that's a match where I know if I lose I have lost to a great player, as well. I'm excited to see what he's got.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports