Stubborn Kyle Edmund: I never lacked motivation despite losing ‘a bit of purpose’ | ATP Tour

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Cussed Edmund: I by no means lacked motivation regardless of shedding ‘a little bit of goal’

Former World No. 14 speaks candidly about left knee damage, which required three surgical procedures

October 23, 2024

For years, Kyle Edmund awoke with a transparent goal: tennis. It was the Briton’s childhood ardour, the heartbeat of his every day routine and the power behind each choice.

However then, a left knee damage hindered Edmund whereas within the type of his life and his rhythm was shattered. Days as soon as outlined by sweat and technique became a tedious grind of rehab, leaving a void within the 29-year-old.

“Then, with out enjoying tennis, it’s type of like what am I waking up for?” Edmund advised ATPTour.com at this week’s MarketBeat Open, an ATP Challenger Tour occasion in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. “I’m actually simply waking as much as do some rehab.”

Edmund has tasted a few of the highest highs an expert tennis participant can expertise. He ascended to career-best No. 14 within the PIF ATP Rankings in October 2018 amidst an eight-month span within the Prime 20. That was the identical yr he reached the Australian Open semi-finals and received his first of two tour-level titles.

However the previous 4 years have been a far totally different story. Edmund underwent his first of three surgical procedures on his left knee in November 2020. The second surgical procedure — which was the biggest process of the three — got here in March 2021 and the ultimate operation was in Might 2022.

It has been a troublesome, at instances emotional, battle for Edmund, whose calendar was solely marked with the phrase ‘rehab’ for a lot of the previous few years whereas his colleagues competed weekly throughout the globe. In 2021, Edmund didn’t play a single match.

“You lose a little bit of goal, begin questioning what to do and all these sorts of issues. There are just a few moments the place you’re simply actually down and also you get a bit emotional,” stated Edmund, who additionally suffered a left wrist damage in 2023, although it didn’t require surgical procedure. “You might have your loved ones or coaches round you to have somewhat little bit of a launch and type of say, ‘What a garbage scenario it’s’.”

Now Edmund is on the comeback path. For the previous two seasons, he has labored laborious on the ITF and ATP Challenger Tour degree with a rating constantly outdoors the Prime 400. He’s presently at World No. 334 within the PIF ATP Rankings, his greatest place since June 2022.

Edmund is on monitor to play greater than 50 matches throughout all ranges for the primary time since 2018, a step in the suitable path for the North Yorkshire native, who aspires to play on the ATP Tour once more.

“I by no means lacked the motivation, which was good. There have been simply instances I didn’t really feel there was any progress,” Edmund stated. “Even when it’s tiny progress, at the least it seems like you’re shifting however there have been instances the place I simply was like nothing was occurring and that was laborious. I knew although by doing nothing, I wasn’t going to get higher. I used to be fairly decided to maintain going.”

Regardless of the frequent difficult moments, Edmund’s dedication grew to become his best asset whereas recovering.

“In my head, I used to be all the time fairly cussed,” Edmund stated. “The stubbornness doesn’t assist me in different issues, but it surely’s trait to be cussed with the rehab as a result of it was an enormous a part of my motivation to all the time be like, ‘Yeah, I’m doing this! I’m going to do as a lot as I can to get again. There can be a day the place I’m again on courtroom’.”

The prolonged absence may tempt a former Prime 20 participant to hold up the racquets and discover a brand new path, however for Edmund, being sidelined reminded him of his ardour for the game.

“I feel if you’ve been out that lengthy, you then realise why you’re doing it. There’s much more alternatives to say, ‘I’m alright, I’m going to do one thing else now’ as a result of there’s a cause there,” Edmund stated. “However I feel after I’ve caught at it for a very long time, it confirmed me that I do really need to do it.”