ATP: A slimmed-down tournament plan to bring Kyrgios success

From a sporting point of view, 2018 was a rather moderate year for Nick Kyrgios. With a modernised tournament schedule this should turn out to be a good thing in the coming season.

Fewer tournaments should be the way back into the tennis elite for Nick Kyrgios. After a completely messed up year 2018, Australians had gone into the hands of a psychologist and retired from the hustle and bustle of the tour.

The treatment seems to be successful and the 23-year-old announces initial findings that will also influence his profession as a tennis player in the future. The primary goal will be that Kyrgios will move on the tour with a slimmed down tournament schedule.

“Long journeys, being away from home and playing unimportant events cost me a lot of strength this year. I’ve been through a very dark phase, that’s for sure. When I was on the road, I was in a bad way. I now know that I need to make my schedule more open and play the events I want,” Kyrgios explained at an event in Canberra.

The exceptional talent will focus in particular on his own KN Foundation, which looks after disadvantaged children and their integration into sports activities. Kyrgios, this aspect is extremely important: “I just want to put my focus on this foundation. That is positive throughout and gives me a good feeling.”

In the future, the interest of the Enfant Terrible could increasingly shift towards the NK Foundation. “I had to think about what makes me happiest and give this opportunity to children who don’t have the possibility to do sports – there I saw what fills me with pure happiness. Happier than I’ve ever been on the court and will be.”

However, Kyrgios does not want to turn his back on tennis altogether. In Brisbane, the local hero will start the 2019 tennis year and serve alongside Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Co.