Nick Kyrgios is now a Grand Slam semifinalist and probably the best Australian male tennis player but there was time when he was doubted and told he wouldn’t make it in tennis. Kyrgios, 27, saw off Cristian Garin 6-4 6-3 7-6 (5) to reach his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon.
After the match, Kyrgios opened up on the challenges and obstacles he had to overcome before reaching the current heights. “I got literally told to stop by so many people, at times my friends were doubting me. It wasn’t easy,” Kyrgios admitted.
“At 12, 14, and 16 (years old) you’re a kid that’s just trying to have fun at the time and you’re told that you’re not gonna be good or you’re not gonna be able to make any stepping stones in the sport.
It wasn’t easy to hear and I just kept persevering.”
Kyrgios: Coaches, teachers told me I wouldn’t make it
“One of my first coaches and first agents were scouting me playing and the agent said, ‘Extremely talented but bad attitude, bad listener.’
So always I got told, as I said, as I played through 12s, 14s, 16s, even to 18s as a junior, I was still a little bit overweight. I was in the academy and always had the worst testing results with sprints, jumps, weights and everything you could possibly imagine.
Got told by teachers and coaches that I wasn’t gonna be any good. I was winning matches at the time but they said, ‘One day this will catch up to you. You’re not gonna be at the top level being in this,'” Kyrgios added.
Kyrgios became a Grand Slam champion earlier this year when he and Thanasi Kokkinakis won the Australian Open men’s doubles title. Now, Kyrgios is determined to win his maiden Grand Slam singles title. In the Wimbledon semifinal, Kyrgios was scheduled to play Rafael Nadal.
On Thursday, Nadal announced his withdrawal from Wimbledon due to an abdominal injury. Kyrgios plays in the Wimbledon final either Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie.
