Kyrgios Claims First ATP Tour Win Since 2019

Nick Kyrgios is arguably the most talked about player in tennis. He’s as box office as they come and supremely talented. But, believe it or not, the Australian had been without a title win on the ATP for three years. However, he’s finally laid that particular ghost to rest by winning the Citi Open.

Kyrgios, 27, in terms of his Grand Slam record, has enjoyed his most successful year. He made the Wimbledon final recently, subsequently being beaten by Novak Djokovic. Until that point, the furthest he’d got was the quarter-final stage of the Australian Open. So, you could say that 2022 has put the outspoken star on somewhat of an upward trajectory.

After being defeated in by Djokovic at Wimbledon, Krygios has headed to Washington to take part in the Citi Open, made the final, and won in straight sets 6-4 6-3 without dropping a serve across the entire tournament. He defeated Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in style and, in doing so, secured his first ATP Tour title since 2019. Coincidentally, the title the Australian won then was also the Citi Open.

Speaking after his victory, Kyrgios said, “To see where I was at last year to now, it’s just an incredible transformation.”

Winning the tournament in Washington has been crucial in moving the Wimbledon runner-up in the right direction where the ATP rankings are concerned. He’s moved twenty-six places from 63rd to 37th and now has 1,205 points to his name. It represents one of the biggest shifts on the leaderboard in the last seven days.

Kyrgios spoke of being in “some really dark places” before going on to add, There are so many people who have helped me get there, but myself, I’ve shown some serious strength to just continue and persevere and get through all those times and be able to still perform and win tournaments like this one.”

What Kyrgios will now be hoping is to transfer his run at Wimbledon, win at the City Open, and recent form into success in the next Grand Slam on the calendar, which is the US Open. The final Grand Slam of the season is one that Kyrgios is no stranger to, after making it as far as the third round in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019. So, now he will be looking to put another ghost to rest by at least bettering what he’s achieved before.

The US Open gets underway on the 29th of August, running to the 11th of September. Djokovic is currently the favourite to win the tournament, but his participation is still up in the air. The likes of Daniel Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal are all likely to be in the mix too, but Kyrgios certainly has a chance after proving he's one of the most in-form in the sport right now. The Australian may be an outsider in the betting, but this was also the case at Wimbledon, and he made it to the final.