Nick Kyrgios, who won Brisbane with victories over Grigor Dimitrov and Ryan Harrison, says that he's taking a lot of confidence from his first title in Australia.
The 22-year-old has now risen to No. 17, and says he could be in the Top 10 or higher playing like this consistently.
“You have to keep putting in the hard yards and having weeks like this,’’ Kyrgios said.
“I don’t think you need to play too many tournaments. I’m never going to play 25 tournament-plus [a season] — it’s about picking the right tournaments and be invested in the ones I pick. It’s more than possible to finish in the top 10, top five if I’m playing like this. The first quarter of my year is pretty hectic. After the Australian Open, I have Davis Cup and then a good block of tournaments. I’m looking forward to getting on the road again, soaking up as much as I can in Australia.”
Australia will face Germany in the Davis Cup in Brisbane, February 2-4.
Kyrgios has both fans and critics in Australia. In 2017, he came under scrutiny when he fell in the second round of the Australian Open, going up two sets before being defeated in five sets by Andreas Seppi. Though he was hurt by the reaction, Kyrgios has also said he rediscovered his passion for the game by playing with his teammates in front of the home crowds in Davis Cup that same month.
“It always helps if you are winning big matches, especially in front of a home crowd as well. After last year, not doing so well, it left a bad taste in the mouth. I came back and played Davis Cup," he said. "I wanted to do well, in front of the crowd, this week, and it’s given me a lot of confidence.”
With a lot of big names withdrawing or just coming back from injury, Kyrgios could be among the contenders for the Australian Open.