By Linda Pearce
Perth: When Daria Gavrilova loses, she gets mad, shouts a lot. Then she knuckles down, recommits and, often, plays better. Thus, having gone winless during the first two ties of Australia's failed Hopman Cup defence, the upside could be what comes next.
"I actually play better [at] the next tournaments if I lose because, really, I hate losing, and I get very angry and yell at everyone when I lose," said Gavrilova, who will complete her Australian Open preparations at next week's Sydney International. "I'm not the best to be around when I lose, so the next day I just work harder and I get better like that."
Not this time: Daria Gavrilova and Nick Kyrgios' Hopman Cup defence is in tatters. Credit: Getty Images
Last January, Gavrilova was the local darling. First, as the new-passport-holding support act to Nick Kyrgios at the fluffy mixed teams event in Perth; a few weeks later, as the fourth-round breakout star at Melbourne Park. This year, expectations are higher, but despite a slightly shaky start to her follow-up home circuit, the world No.25 is not worried. Not yet.
"I'm still not playing my great tennis," Gavrilova said after a second unsuccessful night at Perth Arena on Tuesday in which a three-set defeat against Czech world No.166 Lucie Hradecka and another stumble in the mixed with Kyrgios ended Australia's bid for consecutive finals. "I think it's more mentally than anything else. Matches are a lot different to training, so I just have to work on it.
"Obviously the Australian Open is my biggest goal, so I'm still working through a lot of other things, like gym and fitness, but it's great for me being here getting three guaranteed matches and I had a tough one already tonight and that helps, it helps my match conditioning as well. It's very different to training and doing intervals. You can't compare it.
"I just need to get in that match mindset and I'll get there. Just need a few matches, and it's good that I can see improvement already."
Improvement from loss one (against Spaniard Lara Arruabarrena) to loss two, that is – noting that the Hopman Cup exhibition is really all about on-court minutes to clear the cobwebs after the off-season, with the three-match guarantee a big part of the allure in journeying to Perth.
Sam Stosur lost in the first round in Brisbane and that was that; Gavrilova still has a last outing, against powerful American Coco Vandeweghe, to come on Thursday night. The 22-year-old will again follow Kyrgios, who remains unbeaten, and flagged a light-hearted shot-making exhibition against his friend Jack Sock.
Yet to drop a set against Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez and young Czech Adam Pavlasek, Kyrgios said 23rd-ranked Sock would be an easier opponent for reasons other than just familiarity. "The other guys take it really, really seriously. Jack and I get along pretty well off the court, so we're going to have some fun out there. And obviously we both want to win, but at the same time I think our first priority is going to be just having some fun and keeping it loose out there for the crowd."