Edmund focusing on support, not pressure, at SW19

Kyle Edmund is the youngest British male inside the Top 500, and one of just four Brits inside the Top 100. Still, the pressure of playing at Wimbledon next week isn't going to get to him.

At just 21 years old, Edmund has risen to No. 68 after reaching the quarterfinals of Queen’s Club with a huge win over world No. 18 Gilles Simon in the first round. He cracked the Top 100 for the first time earlier this year after reaching the quarterfinals of Doha as a qualifier.

The London resident has benefited greatly from having a player like Andy Murray ahead of him.

"He's been a good role model for everyone…," Edmund said at Queen's Club. "There is a lot of commitment going into that. That's something, obviously when you're a junior at 16, 17, you don't see that side of that because you're still kicking a football around because you're that age. But when you really need to knuckle down and you realize this is a job, this is a life, a commitment, then you realize what it takes.”

Edmund has also been boosted by playing on the Davis Cup team with Murray, making his debut in the final last year against Belgium (losing in five sets to David Goffin).

"I think my experience with Davis Cup and experience with Murray help a lot,” he said in Miami this year. “Playing practice is very different to matches … but all the experiences I have had, and hitting with Andy, that’s been really good."

The South African-born Edmund was at the top of the junior game fairly recently, reaching No. 8 in 2012. With early success came the chance to hit with the big guys at Wimbledon, even warming up one of his favorite players, Novak Djokovic, at the All England Club.

Now he’s facing players like Djokovic at high-level tournaments. In Miami this year, Edmund played the world No. 1 in the second round (falling in straight sets), and before their first-ever encounter, Djokovic had this to say:

"He’s very calm, very mature for his age. The way he plays, the way he behaves on the court. He’s very respectful of the game, of his colleagues ... He’s one of the youngsters [that] everybody is looking up to and expecting to make a great breakthrough ... Also Great Britain, other than Andy Murray, needs a young player who has the quality and potential to be at the top."

Edmund's match against Djokovic, and more so, the match he played against Andy Murray in the quarters of Queen’s Club (Edmund led by a set before losing, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1,) have served to further confirm Edmund's status as an ATP #NextGen star and a future British champion.

A lot of eyes will be on Murray this year, but plenty of attention will follow Edmund as well. He's ready for it. Earlier this year, he said he focuses more on the support of local fans than the pressure.

"It’s not so much pressure in the Top 100," Edmund said. "I always knew I could do it, and I’m in it now … It’s OK, but I want to get higher, so I’m still a way off in terms of the rankings. There’s not many British players on tour, so we do get watched a little bit more ... I now live in London. I always look forward to it. I always look forward to any Grand Slam, but especially Wimbledon. You just get that support."