By most reckonings, Nick Kyrgios should be feeling tense. Months after beating world No.1 Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon – and with the Australian Open looming – the 19-year-old is still nursing the bone stress injury that cut short his last season.
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He trains hard. He spends hours in the gym. He monitors every swing. One wrong movement could cost the promising Canberra teen a precious opportunity.
He says he thinks about his win against Nadal, daily. "It changed my life. On and off the court," the No.54 says.
"I was very nervous that day. I didn't get much sleep the night before."
Kyrgios progressed to the second round at the 2014 Australian Open. And this year, the stakes are higher. But he is remarkably calm.
At a school tennis clinic at Hartwell Primary, he playfully bounces a tennis ball on his racket. He is with 18-year-old Adelaide player Thanasi Kokkinakis promoting the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots National School Partnership Program.
The duo won the junior doubles title at Wimbledon last year and hope to replicate their achievement at the Australian Open.
But, for now, they are showing off their skills in front of admiring students.
"My arm is progressing well," Kyrgios tells reporters on the school tennis court. "I've done everything I can to get in the right space."
The teens exchange jokes with the students. They have a tight bond, one which earned them the nickname the "Special Ks".
Kyrgios, who made a third-round appearance at the US Open, will play alongside Andre Agassi, Serena Williams and Lleyton Hewitt on the Singapore team at the International Tennis Premier League (ITPL) in late November.
He will then spend the summer competing in the Hopman Cup and the Sydney International tennis tournament before gearing up for the Australian Open.
He anticipates a long, hard match on Rod Laver Arena's centre court. "That feeling when I walk out there with my beats on ... I get goosebumps bumps. That's why I play the game, and I'm sure Thanasi feels the same way.
"At times it [public expectation] can drain you. You think about it a lot and it can affect you on and off the court. But me and Thanasi are going to put on a show."
Kokkinakis, who is world No.158, made it to round two at the Australian Open aged 17, when he lost to Nadal. He also represented the nation at the Davis Cup against France in February.
He will soon spend a week learning from world No.2 Roger Federer in Dubai, before competing in the ATP challengers in Traralgon and returning to Melbourne for January 16.
Meanwhile, his final school year exams await him.
"All this now is building up to the Aussie Open," he says.
"There's more pressure this year. People are looking after you more and you've got a name about you so you're expected to perform a bit. But you've got to trust the work you've done in the off-season and know you'll be ready to go on the day."
One question posed by a young student at the school draws a giggle from the players. "How do you both compete and look out for each other at the same time?" the student asks.
"Thanasi is one of my best mates," Kyrgios says.
"We're always hanging out together or doing something ... I'm looking out for him. I'd like to, anyway."
"We play some really good matches and points," Kokkinakis adds. "To see what he's done in Wimbledon gives me motivation to do the same shortly."
Sunshine beats on the astro turf. It heralds a long, hot season for both young players. These may seem like tense times. But these two are still giggling.
