"He can do whatever he wants when he has a good day" - Nishioka on Washington final vs Kyrgios

Sunday, 07 August 2022 at 22:00

Updated at Tuesday, 03 December 2024 at 20:16

bySam Frape

Yoshihito Nishioka is set to face Nick Kyrgios in the Citi Open final in Washington, and the Japanese star reflected on the challenge that lies ahead.

Having beaten the likes of Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, and Mikael Ymer en route to this year's final, dropping just one set, the Australian arrives in perfect form for what promises to be a superb match-up.

As for Nishioka, he has seen off players such as Alex de Minaur, Karen Khachanov, and Andrey Rublev to meet a fired-up Kyrgios in the final. Victory this week would be the biggest of the Japanese man's career.

Ahead of the final, Nishioka spoke to the press about the challenge that lie ahead, the form Kyrgios is in, and how this will make the task at hand even more complicated.

"Kyrgios is Kyrgios. He can do whatever he wants, he has good day. Also, I think we both have the mentality, too much emotional sometimes, but for sure, he had a great week here, singles and doubles. For sure, he has so much confidence. I never beat him."

Going on to talk in more detail about why the Australian is so strong at the moment, Nishioka made sure to give a special mention to his serve.

"You know, if he making 80% first service, I can't do anything. So sometimes like going to sometimes happen, but like sometimes not. If I have chances, if I get it, maybe I have chance to win. If I don't, maybe I lose. So we'll see how it's going, and then just enjoy the day tomorrow."

A win in the final this weekend would be Nishioka's first ATP 500 title. With this pressure in the back of his mind, all the while going up against someone who has already won in Washington (2019), only time will tell if this is Nishioka's year.