Article Author:
Reuters
Nick Kyrgios ended a three-year title streak by dominating Yoshito Nishioka at the City Open on Sunday. The Australian said he was surprised by the "unbelievable change" last year.
Kyrgios hit his 12 aces in his 6-4, 6-3 win over his Japanese opponent at the same hard-court tournament in Washington, D.C. in 2019. It was her first singles title since winning.
Kyrgios, who finished runner-up at Wimbledon last month, seemed overwhelmed with emotion as he lay on his back on the court after winning his seventh singles title.
"If you look at where I am from last year to now, it's been incredible," he said, adding that he'd been in "some really dark places." I was.
"There are many people who have helped me get there, but I myself have had to persevere, persevere, get through all that time, still perform and
Kyrgios, who is best known for his on-court antics and rants, opened up about his mental health struggles earlier this year, had suicidal thoughts, and had a bad rap around the 2019 Australian Open. It was one of his "darkest times," he said.
Last year he said he wasn't sure how long he would continue playing professional tennis, but this season has shown a new level of consistency.
Kyrgios has not dropped serve in Washington, has won 11 of his last 12 matches, and only lost the Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic.
Also clinching his third doubles title of the year, Jack returned to the court with his sock later on Sunday, defeating Ivan Dodigg and Austin Krajicek as he went 7-5 6-4. I broke it. Kyrgios won the Australian Open and the doubles in Atlanta with fellow countryman Tanasi Kokkinakis.
"Before the Australian Open, I decided that I wanted to put in a really good training block, but then things started to work out," said Kyrgios, who climbed to 37th in the rankings.
"It was an amazing Australian Open. I felt like I reinvented myself a bit on the court in the post-Australian Open tournament.
"Before I feel a lot more motivated than… I don't know. I feel like there's a small window to tap into.” (Reported by Sudipto Ganguly, Mumbai and Amy Tennery, New York; Ian Ransom, Melbourne) Additional reporting by Peter Rutherford)
