Nick Kyrgios to remain without a coach in 2018 as he looks to put 2017 woes behind him

NICK Kyrgios is in no hurry to bring a coach into his team saying he can’t trust they’re not in it for the money. Meanwhile, he’s sacrificed his first sporting love for the sake of his tennis career.

BEIJING, CHINA — OCTOBER 08: Nick Kyrgios of Australia reacts after losing the point during the Men's Singles final against Rafael Nadal of Spain on day nine of the 2017 China Open at the China National Tennis Centre on October 8, 2017 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

A COACHLESS Nick Kyrgios says he will head into this Australian summer circuit a more professional and organised player than he has been.

Kyrgios, 22, said he believes has put enough rehabilitation into a hip injury which dogged much of his 2017 campaign.

He says he has curtailed the amount of off-season basketball he’s played for fun in the past because he’s realised that it does not help his body withstand the tennis grind.

Kyrgios, world No.21, starts his season at the Brisbane International from Sunday week and had a light-hearted hit at Pat Rafter Arena with girlfriend Ajla Tomljanovic, the fourth-ranked Australian woman.

He ran out of petrol in a five-set loss to Italian Andreas Seppi in the first week of the 2017 Australian Open and has not made the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament since the 2015 Australian Open.

Nick Kyrgios of Australia hits a return during his men's singles semi-final match against Alexander Zverev earlier this year

“I feel more ready than I did last year. I’ve taken care of my body a bit more,’’ Kyrgios said.

“I have been doing rehab every day. It’s where I think my discipline has improved. It (his hip) feels pretty good.

“I am looking after a lot of things better, looking after my diet better, training a bit harder in the gym and doing a lot of rehab.

“I feel I’ve done everything I can (to have a good Australian summer). I have time to find my feet.

“If anything I played too much basketball and had too many niggles.

“I know playing basketball is great for my body.

“I had a month and half off. It’s never long enough really, but I trained hard (early this month in Melbourne) with the Australian Davis Cup guys.’’

Kyrgios had Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean travel to some tournaments with him as a coach, but the player who marches to the beat of his drum he intends to have no coach with him at tournaments.

He will be able to tap into the knowledge of Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and coach Jason Stoltenberg in tournaments in Brisbane and Melbourne.

Australian Open tennis wildcard playoff at Melbourne Park. Day 1. Nick Kyrgios with Mariko Matosevic: Michael Klein

After an informal association with the retired Czech player Radek Stepanek at a couple of tournaments, he did nothing to change Stepanek’s mind when he was sought as a coach by Novak Djojkovic for the new season.

I don’t have a coach. I will go about my thing, the same I did this year.

“I wasn’t looking at anyone. Radek helped me a little bit. I’m not surprised Novak hired him. He has great knowledge.

“I think I know how to play the game pretty well. I can always learn new things, but I don’t know about bringing someone on.

“I’ve done it pretty much all alone the past three years. To bring someone in on. It’s tough to know if they are just doing it for the sake of getting some cash or if they have best interests at heart.

“I’m not looking for someone willing to guide me and so far I haven’t found anyone to meet those requirements as a fulltime coach.’’

Sightings of top male players practising tennis with their girlfriends are not thick on the ground.

“It’s when I’m with her that I am at my happiest,’’ said Kyrgios, who went to Hawaii last month to support Tomljanovic, the world No.118, at a women;’s tournament.

“It’s good to have her around. It’s good to see her healthy again after being out of the game for so long.’’

Asked if he let her win in practice, he said: “Not all the time, no.’’

Originally published as Nick Kyrgios to remain without a coach in 2018 as he looks to put 2017 woes behind him