Nick Kyrgios ended a three-year drought by winning the Citi Open in Washington, and the Australian player was very open about how much it meant to him.
It has been a couple of tough years for Kyrgios, who struggled with ambition and motivation in regard to tennis while also dealing with some problems at home.
The Australian was able to overcome all of that and return with a lot of fire this year. He's been playing well, and it finally clicked for him in Washington, where he won the trophy, and it was an emotional moment for him.
"It's just very emotional for me. To see where I was at last year to now, it's just an incredible transformation. I just came out with great energy. I knew that I had experience on my side today. I love this court, I've played so many good matches here, so I'm just really happy with myself."
After winning the trophy, Kyrgios reflected on the challenging moments that led to the moment when he finally won a trophy again.
"I've been in some really dark places. Just to be able to turn it around... 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."
Following the match, Kyrgios added another trophy by winning the doubles tournament with Jack Sock. He became the first player in the event's history to win both singles and doubles, which he was proud of.
"I'm extremely proud of myself and my team. It was a really, really good week. It was hard-fought. [I] had some incredibly tough matches. Every practice was really good. I tried to be as professional as I could. I'm just happy to be sitting here, making history along the way."
Kyrgios moved up significantly on the rankings thanks to the win and he's fairly close to securing a seeding spot at the US Open. That would make him even more of a dark horse candidate to win it.