Nick Kyrgios continues to grow in 2022, the best year of his sports career. The Australian tennis player was proclaimed champion of the Citi Open, an ATP 500 tournament played in Washington. In the final he defeated Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, number 54 in the world, in just over an hour and twenty minutes (6-4, 6-3). His victory represents the end of a three-year drought without lifting a title. It was in 2019 when he raised his last trophy, precisely the same one that he just won in the American capital. He completed his big week by also winning the Citi Open in doubles shortly after the singles final, partnering Jack Sock and defeating Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek (7-5, 6-4).
"Seeing where I was last year and where I am now, it's just an incredible transformation," the 27-year-old confessed after his victories. He also reflected on them, assuring that he left "with a lot of energy" and that "he knew that he had the experience" of his side. "I love this court, I've played very good games here, I'm very happy with myself," he declared.
As usual, the Aussie made his serve a lethal weapon throughout the tournament, completing a total of 96 aces en route to the title, the seventh of his career. In the final he was no different: 12 aces to break Nishioka. He was intractable on serve and solid on return, breaking the Japanese's serve at key moments of the match. The journey to the final was not easy, in part because of how compressed the calendar was. Kyrgios had to play the round of 16 and the quarter-finals on the same day and was on the ropes in his matchup against Frances Tiafoe, in which he saved five match points.
This year has been the one of consecration for the Australian. He could not score points after reaching the Wimbledon final, his first Grand Slam final, due to the ban on Russian tennis players and the consequences of it, but the victory in Washington raises him from 63rd to 37th place in the ATP ranking. . "If Wimbledon had split points, I'd be close to the top 10," he said. In any case, he will arrive at the US Open, which begins on August 29, in top form and as one of the rivals to beat.
His transformation has not only been sporting, but also personal. "I feel that age has helped me a lot to mature, to really know what I want, to not take anything for granted and to know both my body and my mind in detail," she assured. "I have learned not to give importance to criticism. I try very hard to do things my way because I know that, with my style of play and personality on court, I can inspire millions of people around the world," he confessed.
