NICK KYRGIOS says his Wimbledon final dream is an inspiration for every outcast and misfit.
After having dinner interrupted on Thursday night to be told Rafa Nadal had withdrawn from their semi-final, the Australian struggled to sleep.
Kyrgios reflected on his journey from Canberra to Wimbledon
Understandable when he now faces 20-time Major winner, six-time SW19 king and defending champ Novak Djokovic tomorrow for £2million.
But reaching the grandest stage of all is something many never expected.
For too long Kyrgios, 27, has been the super brat of his generation — the guy who would spit, swear, abuse officials, rant, rave and embrace the dark arts of the tramlines.
He said: “I grew up in Canberra, the courts I trained on were horrible — now I’m in the Wimbledon final.
“It’s an inspiration for any sort of kid who has kind of been outcasted or surrounded by negative headlines or negative clouds. Or brought down from a lot of different angles.
“I feel like it’s still possible to achieve something quite special if you just believe in yourself.
“I feel most people around me at some stage lost belief that I would ever make a Grand Slam final.
“They doubted me a bit in my behaviour or how I trained. That’s fine but I never lost belief in myself.
“That’s just a strong message for any kid who doubts themselves. Just keep going.”
It has been strange fortnight for Kyrgios, who had previously never made it past the quarter-final of a Slam event.
There was the five-set win over Hull’s Paul Jubb, the controversy on and off the court with No 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, the fines for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Then the summons from an Australian court to hear common assault allegations.
He said that facing Nadal, 36, would be “the most watched tennis match of all”.
Yet it never happened as Spaniard Rafa pulled out with an abdominal tear.
The world No 40 said: “This is not the way I wanted to get to the final. I really did want that match.
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“We’ve both won against each other here. I wanted to see how the third chapter was going to go.
“My first feeling was disappointment. My energy was so focused on playing him. I had a shocking sleep.
“Probably got an hour’s sleep just with everything, like the excitement.
“I had so much anxiety, I was already feeling so nervous and I don’t feel nervous usually.”
This is a different Kyrgios to the one who used to drink in the nearby Dog & Fox pub until 4am before Wimbledon matches.
Kyrgios said: “There are times I hate this sport. But there are times I think I’m one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met.
“Win or lose the final, I’m going to be happy.
“Since I was born, only eight people have won this title. I’m going to give it my best shot.”
