Nick Kyrgios knows that with his opening-round match of Australian Open 2020 just days away, his focus should be locked on opponent Lorenzo Sonego, honing his game and preparing for a seventh run in the main draw at Melbourne Park.
But tennis, as has native Australia continues to struggle with a bushfire crisis that has raged for months, seems understandably less significant for Kyrgios than normal.
The 24-year-old has been a driving force behind fund-raising efforts for the communities hit hardest by the fires, and said on Saturday that an “emotional” build-up to his home major has put things into perspective.
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“I guess my mind is still not completely on the tennis side of things,” he admitted.
“Obviously with what's going on, still it's tough. I mean, I'm preparing as best I can. I feel like I'm doing everything I can to get the best out of my performance at the moment.
“The fires … people are losing their families, homes. It's not easy to just completely switch your concentration on the Australian Open – how is your forehand going today? – when you put it in perspective of what is actually going on.
“Things happening at the moment, they're much larger than all of this. At the same time, I have to find the balance. I have to go out there and try to get the best out of my game. But I think when I'm playing, at the moment I'm playing for a lot more than myself. I feel like I'm getting the best out of myself with that.”
Kyrgios, seeded 23rd in Melbourne, is Australia’s highest-ranked male in the singles draw after compatriot Alex De Minaur was forced to withdraw with an abdominal injury on Thursday.
It was a bitter blow for the 20-year-old, who was superb when teamed with Kyrgios at the inaugural ATP Cup earlier in the month, and gave world No.1 Rafael Nadal all he could handle in a pulsating three-set semifinal loss in Sydney last weekend.
Kyrgios had breakfast with his countryman on Saturday before De Minaur left Melbourne, and said he was “heartbroken” for his friend.
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“It's sad. He's a good kid. He's one of the best players in the world at the moment,” Kyrgios said.
“We all saw what he can do against Rafa in the ATP Cup. It was an unbelievable match.
“He's our best player at the moment. He's set such a good example for us. He's a great role model. He's probably things that I wasn't when I was No. 1. He works really hard. He does the right things. For him to get injured, miss this tournament, it's tough to see.
“I know how much work he puts in. He's probably been thinking about the Oz Open for the last couple months. For him to have an injury that's quite serious, it's not going to be easy for him to watch the tournament, watch us, other Aussies, potentially do well.”
Kyrgios, two weeks older than Tuesday’s opponent Sonego, isn’t looking too far ahead at a draw that could pit him against Nadal in the fourth round if results follow the script.
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Given his distracted preparation, getting past the Italian and taking things from there is the horizon of his focus for now. In his sole career meeting with Sonego, the Australian won in two tight sets in Cincinnati last August.
“Sonego is a tough competitor … very capable player. Big serve. Loves to hit his forehand,” Kyrgios surmised.
“I'm not thinking about it too much at the moment. I got a couple more days to prepare, enjoy the vibes around the whole Oz Open. I'm just taking it day by day.
“I'm not looking forward at all. Everyone can play. All these guys can produce tennis on the day. I'm not even going to think about throughout the draw right now.
“I just feel very at home. I feel very comfortable. I'm just excited.”