Nick Kyrgios says being back in the Davis Cup fold is crucial to his mental state as well as his career. The world No15 will lead Australia’s charge against the Czech Republic this week at Kooyong in his first match back following his Australian Open second round meltdown.
After his shock five-set loss to Andreas Seppi, when he blew a two-set lead, Kyrgios admitted he needed a coach and was under-prepared, taking a knee injury into the tournament after playing too much basketball.
He said he had a couple of potential coaches in mind but they needed to be the “right person”.
“It’s finding someone who has my best interest at heart and it’s tough to find someone on the team who’s willing to care about me as a person first,” Kyrgios said on Tuesday.
Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has ruled out taking on the role but appeared to fit the bill, with Kyrgios saying it helped him “100%” having the former world No1 in his corner.
Kyrgios said being a part of the Australian team environment was important to him. “I think playing David Cup is going to improve my general wellbeing,” Kyrgios said.
“This week it’s good chemistry. It’s a good environment and makes me happy being with these guys and getting out on the practice court and training because usually when I’m by myself I struggle to find the motivation.
“These weeks are pretty crucial for someone around my time of my career.”
Kyrgios has spent the past 10 days in Miami training and was mostly over the knee injury which contributed to his loss. He said he was also over the mental anguish, saying he had moved on thanks to the likes of Hewitt.
“I was obviously struggling, mentally it was tough but I’ve had a lot of support and obviously Rusty [Hewitt] has been helping me though it and I think this week is crucial for me to bounce back and go out to try to enjoy it again and I feel good.”
With no Bernard Tomic in the line-up, it is key that Kyrgios gets Australia off to a winning start.
Despite world No12 Tomas Berdych skipping the tie, with world No54 Jiri Vesely and veteran Radek Stepanek, who has been ranked as high as eight, the Czech team will not be a pushover.
Tomic made himself unavailable for scheduling reasons, with Jordan Thompson drafted in to make his debut, with Australian Open men’s doubles champion John Peers linking with Sam Groth in the doubles.
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