Kyle Edmund eager for next challenge after remarkable Australian Open run comes to an end

Kyle Edmund was determined to accentuate the positives here on Thursday despite his disappointment at losing in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Struggling with an injury, the 23-year-old Briton was beaten 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 by Marin Cilic.

“It’s been a really good couple of weeks for me,” Edmund said afterwards. “I got the experience of going deep in a Slam for the first time and all the stuff that comes with it. I played a couple of matches in Rod Laver Arena.

“I’m obviously disappointed right now, but can be very happy with the way I’ve gone about things. I’ve played a lot of tough matches, won some tough matches, beaten good players.

“This type of tournament just gives you the bug to want more. Once you get a taste, it’s like: ‘Yeah, I want more of this.’ I’ll definitely go away from the whole week feeling positive.”

Edmund went off the court for a medical time-out at the end of the first set. Although there was no obvious physical problem, it became clear in the third set that he was struggling with his movement.

“There's something, but whatever,” Edmund said when asked about the injury, which was apparently a hip problem. “It's unfortunate it happens. I'm definitely disappointed about it.”Asked whether the injury was something that had troubled him going into the match, Edmund said: “I don’t know. It’s irrelevant. Tennis players are always dealing with stuff. That’s just the nature of the sport.”

Cilic, who will meet Roger Federer or Hyeon Chung in Sunday’s final, said he had noticed that Edmund was struggling physically when he broke him in the third game of the third set.

“He just let a couple of balls go past him,” Cilic said. “I could see that he was a little bit restricted with his movement, so I just tried to move the ball around.”

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Edmund’s only break points came in the opening game and he admitted that he had struggled to deal with the world No 6’s serve. “He always serves very well,” Edmund said. “He’s got a very good serve, disguised very well. He hits his spots well. He’s got good power. He’s a tall guy so you expect guys like that to serve well.”

He added: “Tonight I was below my standard and wish I could have played a lot better, but it is what it is. There are always things I would like to do better, but it’s not always possible every day.”

Cilic said that the match had been close until Edmund started to suffer physically. “In the second set I was up and down with my game, not getting enough returns back and he started to serve quite well and release his forehands,” Cilic said.

“But I just stayed mentally very focused and tried to play every single point. It was extremely crucial in the tie-break to keep up that pressure.”

The 29-year-old Croatian predicted a bright future for Edmund. “He’s playing great tennis,” Cilic said. “The last couple of years he’s improved a lot and he’s started great this year.

“He had an extremely tough run to the semis, a couple of five-setters and a couple of four-setters as well. Definitely it left some scars on his body. I can feel that too, but definitely he’s got a bright future in the game and we’re going to be seeing him a lot.”

Edmund’s injury could put in doubt his participation in Britain’s Davis Cup tie away to Spain next week. “I’ll do everything I can to play, because I want to play and I want to be there with the team,” he said. “But there is no point going on court if I’m not ready, because you hinder the team as well.

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“You basically give up a rubber if you’re not ready. I don’t know percentage-wise what the chances are, but if I’m not ready, I’ll say, because you want to give the opportunity to other players that are there to play.”

In Monday’s world rankings list Edmund is expected to climb 23 places to a career-high position of No 26. He is likely to be seeded for the French Open and also for Wimbledon if he continues to progress in the coming months.

Asked if he had enjoyed the media attention he had attracted over the last fortnight, Edmund said: “Of course I slightly feel people overreact and stuff. It was like: ‘King Edmund VI’. I mean… It is what it is basically. The attention comes with the territory of doing well. That’s what happens. If you embrace it, I think you cope with it better.”

Thankfully Edmund had not lost his sense of humour. When told that his coach, Fredrik Rosengren, had told reporters that his charge was not the sort of man to go out and buy a Ferrari, Edmund agreed, but added: “I have a Jaguar deal, so I can’t.”