Kyrgios gets up for top players, lacks motivation in smaller tourneys

Nick Kyrgios says big matches inspire him to play his best, as he showed in defeating Novak Djokovic in Acapulco to add to his previous wins against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Notably, the 21-year-old Australian has won his first meetings against each of the multiple Grand Slam champions. He announced his arrival on the world stage in 2014, defeating Nadal in Wimbledon. Then in 2015, he topped Federer in a third-set tiebreak in Madrid. But he has yet to get a tour win against Andy Murray, the Big Four player he is most friendly with. Kyrgios is 0-5 against Murray, though he did win their Hopman Cup meeting a year ago.

In total, Kyrgios has 11 wins against Top 10 players. While his commitment to the sport has been questioned at times—he was suspended for lack of effort in a second-round match in Shanghai—the talented Australian says he's a different player against the top guys.

"It’s what I dreamed of as a little kid, playing on these great venues against some of the greatest players in the world," he told reporters in Acapulco following the win. "I never have a problem getting up for these matches. It's more the smaller matches and smaller tournaments.''

Against Djokovic, Kyrgios said he "concentrated on every point," slamming 25 aces. He also competed consistently while Djokovic was serving, looking at "just getting a point here and there." That pressure helped him get the break at 5-6 in the second set, he suggested, with Djokovic making three unforced errors to start the game.

Kyrgios took a tight first set in a tiebreak.

"I had to stay switched on the whole time," he said.

Moving forward, he is aiming to produce that level not just against the top players, but in all of his matches.

"It's going to get better every day, finding motivation," he said.

Kyrgios is vying for his fourth career title. Last year, he won his first three trophies in Marseille, Atlanta and Tokyo.