Nick Kyrgios ‘devastated’ after quarterfinal defeat to Karen Khachanov as he destroys two rackets on court
The world No.1 now faces a potentially tough match against either Marin Cilic or Nikoloz Basilashvili
TENNIS Open’s top seed wins first Major title
Kyrgios’ world No.1 ranking has plummeted in the wake of his defeat to Marin Cilic and Nick Kyrgios revealed he felt “devastated” to lose to a more experienced rival in the quarterfinals of the ATP Finals.
Speaking at the ATP Finals press conference, the world No.1 revealed that his quarterfinal defeat to Karen Khachanov was a “sad day for tennis”, and that his world No.1 ranking has dropped significantly in the wake of the match.
Kyrgios was bidding to become the first man to top the ranking since John McEnroe in 2001, and become the first Australian man to win a Major title since Rod Laver in 1972.
Kyrgios said, “I’m still a Top 20 player now in the world. I’m more than happy and I appreciate my experience of playing on tour and it’s something I’ll never forget.
“But I just didn’t play my best tennis and I made a lot of mistakes that cost me the match. I’ve been upset. I have no regrets and I’ve learned from it. I can’t say I was really disappointed. It was a day that I’ll never forget.”
AAP’s Kyrgios made a dramatic return to tennis on Tuesday, his first competitive match since he was left with a hip injury last year.
“I had a very good week off, but I really didn’t get used to it,” Kyrgios said. “I got to the event a little bit late but I wanted to make sure I was at the right fitness level.
“I’m ready to compete. But it was tough at the start just to get back to the level of play that my body was used to and make sure that I can continue and get better and stronger.”
Following his defeat, Kyrgios said that the key for him now was mental toughness.
“It’s a day
