The 250 Square Foot View

I was bummed to see Nick Kyrgios knocked out of the 2022 US Open.

Besides the longshot bet I made on him to win it all (31 to 1), I was rooting for him after seeing how he played during Wimbledon en route to a defeat in the final to Novak Djokovic.

The knock on Nick has been his lack of commitment to his craft. He seemed content to coast through his career, travel the world, make a few bucks, and retire without having made his mark on the sport.

Normally no one would care except for the fact that, in my opinion, he is quite possibly the most physically gifted and talented player on the men’s tour.

But it seemed that something clicked at Wimbledon. Maybe he realized that he was good enough to play and beat anyone on any day if he committed himself fully. Not just during the matches, but the day-in, day-out fitness and preparation that it takes to win grand slam tournaments.

From the outside (I of course don’t know Nick), it seems that what clicked is that he cares now. He wants to win, and he’s willing to do what it takes to put himself in the best position to do so.

Though his reaction to losing last night (smashing his racquet to pieces) was not “gentlemanly,” I loved it, as I did his post-match comments where he talked about being devastated and letting the people around him down.

I thought this was the major where he made his run after blowing the #1 seed, Daniil Medvedev, off the court – and looking like he knew he was the better player, maybe the best player in the world.

But maybe it’s next year, having sat with the devastation for an entire offseason ahead of his home major, the Australian Open.

My money’s on Nick to win a major in 2023. What about you?