Australian Open 2018: The mental change behind Kyle Edmund's incredible quarter-final run, revealed by his coach
The British No 2 will face world No 3 Grigor Dimitrov, but will head into the clash with the mentality that he can win it thanks to his coach Fredrik Rosengren
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Your support makes all the difference.Fredrik Rosengren, the experienced Swede who took over as Kyle Edmund’s coach at the end of last year, paid credit here on Sunday to the 23-year-old Briton for the improvements he has made to the mental side of his game.
Edmund is through to his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open following his fourth-round victory over Andreas Seppi. In the last eight he will take on Grigor Dimitrov, the world No 3, who recorded the biggest victory of his career when he won the ATP Finals in London two months ago.
“For me tennis is a mental game, so it’s all about belief at this level,” Rosengren said. “You have to manage the pressure on certain points. You have to step up and play well.”
Rosengren said that Edmund had made good progress in his first tournament of the year in Brisbane, when he overcame difficult moments mentally to beat both Denis Shapovalov and Hyeon Chung before losing a tight quarter-final to Dimitrov. All three matches went to deciding sets.
Edmund lost a number of close matches last year, but has come through his first four matches here in emphatic fashion. The world No 49 beat both Kevin Anderson and Nikoloz Basilashvili after losing two of the first three sets and also had to come from behind to beat Seppi. The only match which was more straightforward was his straight-sets victory over Denis Istomin.
Rosengren, who used to coach Magnus Norman and Robin Soderling, said he had worked hard on Edmund’s mental approach because he had been told that had not been his strength in the past. “We have talked a lot about this: to play to win, not to play to avoid losing, to have the heart,” Rosengren said.
“You will not win every time, but you have to go out there and get it because these guys will not give it to you to free. You have to believe you can do it in tough situations, serving out sets and matches. He has done that three times.
“Against Anderson it was a different story because Anderson was the favourite. Those kind of matches are easier, but in these last three matches Kyle was the favourite and you could see that in him. He was a little bit tight and tense but always believed and was always getting better. I am very happy with the way he managed the pressure.”
Rosengren emphasises that Edmund’s progress has been the result of teamwork. Mark Hilton, who enjoyed great success working with Dan Evans, helps with the coaching, while Ian Prangley is Edmund’s physical trainer and physiotherapist. “This is teamwork and I like that a lot,” Rosengren said.
Teamwork has helped Edmund to improve his serve, as was seen in the 25 aces he hit against Seppi. “He is using his legs much more,” Rosengren said.
“Mark Hilton did a great job in December with this change. It was to get the toss higher, more in front, so he has time to use his legs. I hope you see how he really jumps off when he serves. It was not good against Anderson technically, it was the old Kyle. I wasn't happy technically with that. But these last three matches he has been serving really well. It's helping his confidence.”
Rosengren said Edmund was coping well with the physical challenge. “It’s all about the mindset,” the Swede said. “He is not that tired. It’s all about the mental thing here to recover.
“You have to play seven matches over five sets if you want to win this tournament. If you’re not prepared for that, why come here? You have to be prepared physically, starting in that direction, otherwise you will never trust your game, if you’re getting tired after one set – and you know in Melbourne that you will play three or four matches in 40 degrees – you have to be fit for that.”
Rosengren has encouraged Edmund to be more demonstrative on the court, which can be seen in his occasional fist-pumps after winning big points.
“We talked a lot about this situation and to express himself on court but at the same time he can’t use all his energy,” Rosengren said. “It has to come naturally. But it’s nice to see him enjoy it out there. I love it, but it’s small steps all the time.
“It’s good to see that he can grow as a person, and also be out there to enjoy it. There is so much pressure. This is his profession. He makes his money from tennis. But you have to also enjoy the ride.
“That is not so easy when you have a coach who says every day: ‘You have to do this and this to become better and better.’ There's always pressure and expectations on everybody, so you have to find a balance between hard work and having fun. He's doing a great job.”
Rosengren added: “I think he has showed good temperament here. He is a young man who knows what he wants and I think he has a great temperament. Sometimes he could get his hair cut a bit more: we say that in Sweden when everything is too nice. But he is doing a great job. We are all very happy that he is the quarter-finals and we hope this lifts his self-esteem.”
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