Nick Kyrgios’ mother admits her son is “finally appreciating” his life after a period where he used to sit in his room and play video games rather than see the world.
Kyrgios will play in his first Grand Slam final after Rafael Nadal pulled out of their scheduled Wimbledon semi-final on Thursday evening. He will face either Novak Djokovic or Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who play their semi-final on Centre Court on Friday.
She said:
"He's finally appreciating where he is, that's the best thing about all this. Beforehand it was so hard for us to get him to do anything. He was happy to sit in his room and play video games all the time. His shoulder would hurt him from how much he would play."
She continued:
"In Beijing we wanted him to walk the Great Wall of China with us. Who wouldn't, right? But Nick wouldn't go. He was happy to sit in his room and order in, that's what worried me. I remember in Canada we said, 'Let's go to Niagara Falls'. He wouldn't even go there. Nick wouldn't want to do those things.”
And more:
“Wow, there's such a difference now. I see it on his [Instagram] stories. Since the Australian Open this year [in January], he has started doing some things. He now understands that life doesn't revolve around tennis. No one expects him to be like that. You have to enjoy your life. I'm really happy he is now."