“Someone like Serena Williams or Roger Federer, before opponents take the court they may not sleep well; it's their aura, results” - Nick Kyrgios on taking confidence from his performances and winning streak

Nick Kyrgios is high on confidence right now and seems to have an aura of invincibility, much the same as legends like Serena Williams and Roger Federer had for most of their careers. He breezed past fellow Aussie Alex de Minaur on Thursday to enter the quarterfinals of the 2022 Canadian Open.

Rain in Montreal forced the match to be moved from Court Central to Court Rogers, but the location change made no difference as Kyrgios, a day after beating World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, upped his game to beat de Minaur 6-2, 6-3.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, the Aussie said that he’s playing with confidence now and is always eager to get on the court and compete.

“[The change in schedule and court] maybe gave me a little bit more time to prepare and think about it, which in a way I didn't like. I almost wanted to get out on the court quicker and just get it done. Whether I won or lost, I just wanted to get off the court, to be honest,” Nick Kyrgios said.

With his latest win, Kyrgios moves up to World No. 27 in the ATP Live Rankings, a rank that’ll ensure he’s seeded at the US Open later this month. He has won 15 of his last 16 matches, with his only loss coming to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.

The 27-year-old stated that he’s taken a lot of confidence in his performances this season and that his form is probably playing on his opponents’ minds before they play him.

“Yeah, I think [I have some edge on my opponents], you look at someone like Serena [Williams] or Roger [Federer], before opponents take the court, they may not sleep that well at night. It's more the aura or their results or their accolades that you're trying to versus rather than them,” he said.

“Now when people versus me, ‘he's on a massive winning streak, he must be playing well, done this, done that.’ That can cloud your ability to just go out there and perform. I think some of the opponents I faced may have been feeling that a little bit over the last couple weeks,” he added.

---

Hubert Hurkacz stands between Nick Kyrgios and 2022 Canadian Open semifinals

Hubert Hurkacz in action at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Following his victory against Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios will next face eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz on Friday. Hurkacz edged past Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(3) to reach the quarterfinals.

Both players have faced each other only once, in the semifinals of the Halle Open in Germany this year. The Pole beat Kyrgios in June despite the latter holding every one of his service games. They hit 27 and 30 aces respectively, with Hurkacz winning the hard-fought contest 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4).

The 25-year-old Hurkacz needed just 64 minutes to beat Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-4 in the final and claim his maiden grasscourt title.