Kyle Edmund praised by Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon: ‘This is why he is so good’
KYLE EDMUND has cracked the top 20 in the world because of his new partnership with coach Freddie Rosengren, according to Novak Djokovic.
Edmund is looking to reach the third round of Wimbledon for the first time but his run to the semi-final of the Australian Open earlier this year has helped propel him up to a career-high No 17 in the rankings.
With Andy Murray out injured, the 23-year-old carries the hopes of the nation on his back but Djokovic appears confident that he can cope with pressure of expectation thanks to his coach Rosengren.
“Ever since he started working with a new coach that I've known for years, because he worked with Mario Ancic and [fellow Swede, Robin] Soderling, he's known as a very good coach, has that professionalism, discipline,” Djokovic said of the man Edmund hired permanently in October last year.
“I think Kyle and him are a great fit. Kyle is very devoted.
“He has very good ethics, a hard worker, puts in the hours necessary on the court and in the gym to get himself to best possible shape.
“You can see the results are showing that their work is very beneficial for Kyle.
“He's top-20 player of the world. He's going towards the top 10.
“He won against me this year in Madrid. He won against Dimitrov. Reached semis of Australian Open. He certainly has the capacity and the quality to compete at the highest level.
“If I get to play him, probably is going to be one of the two big courts.
“He's a hometown favourite now that Murray is not here. There's a lot of expectations and pressure on his back.
“But he's handling it pretty well so far.”
Novak Djokovic could face Kyle Edmund in the Wimbledon third round
Edmund beat Alex Ward in the first round last year to achieve his first ever win in the main draw of Wimbledon.
He was beaten by Gael Monfils in his next match, a clash he would expect to win this time around, but he could face Djokovic himself in the next round.
But just as the Serb said, former British No 1 Tim Henman has backed Edmund to shrug off the pressure.
“If you were to be thinking about what has been said in a newspaper or on television and what the crowd are thinking and expecting then you’re focusing on the wrong thing and it would be too much pressure to play.
“But you’ve got to do a good job controlling the controllables and that really is your preparation and performance.
“If you do that and you’re a good player, everything else will take care of itself.
“The moment you start getting distracted, that’s when the problems come.”
