Kyle Edmund had a few perplexing moments in reaching the last four of a Grand Slam, among them discovering the odd urban myth about himself.
‘The most surprising thing was the stuff off the court, like my dad’s got three more jobs than I knew he had, and that my first love was swimming, which I never knew,’ he said with wry amusement, considering his Australian Open adventure.
It came to a comprehensive end when, eventually hampered to some degree by a hip strain, he was beaten 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 by Croat Marin Cilic.
Kyle Edmund’s bid for first Grand Slam title came to end after he was defeated by Marin Cilic
Edmund was competing for a place in the final after overcoming Grigor Dimitrov
Would he now be buying a Ferrari with his £512,000 prize money? ‘I have a Jaguar deal, so I can’t,’ he pointed out dryly.
Such inquiries come with the territory and he has handled everything over the last 11 days admirably, from the unaccustomed glare of publicity, to searing heat, to the talents of Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov.
Only when it came to tackling the proven class of Cilic, playing as skilfully and smartly as he has ever done, did he fall short. Considerably short, in fact, on a balmy evening at the Rod Laver Arena when you were often reminded of the ranking disparity that exists between them.
But Edmund has much to be proud of, including a stubborn refusal to talk about the injury that clearly affected his movement towards the end.
But Edmund has much to be proud of and he will be ranked 27 in the world next week
He bluntly admitted: ‘Tonight I was below my standard and wish I could have played a lot better.’
There are consolations galore, and not just that he will no longer have to wear the garish pink creation that was his clothing sponsor’s standard issue at this tournament.
Aside from the money, next week he will be ranked 27, and that will mean a seeding privilege at many tournaments, including probably the French Open and Wimbledon.
Cilic was the first to break in the first set in his bid to reach his first ever Australian Open final
Perhaps most importantly there is the knowledge that he belongs in loftier company than he might have thought prior to this fortnight.
While there has been an elevation in his status, he also observed that it is not quite accurate to describe him as an overnight sensation.
‘I reached the fourth round of the US Open in 2016. I beat quality players there, Richard Gasquet and John Isner and stuff. I know I can beat those players. It’s just obviously doing it a bit more consistently. What the ranking represents is how consistent players are.
‘This type of tournament just gives you the bug to want more. You know, once you get a taste, it’s like, “I want more of this”. I’ll definitely go away from the whole week feeling positive.’
The Grand Slam semi-finalist makes his way back to the Melbourne changing room
The whole month of January has been a good one. Not only did he beat the 11th and third seeds over five sets here, but in Brisbane he beat the world’s most hotly tipped teenager, Denis Shapovalov, and Hyeon Chung.
The context of the latter win is that the Korean is due to face Roger Federer in the second semi-final on Friday. Edmund has few points to defend from last year in the next six weeks, so could make further rankings headway.
He is due to play for Great Britain in Marbella against Spain next week in the Davis Cup first round and said he hoped any injury would not prove an issue.
‘I’ll do everything I can to play, because I want to play. I want to be there with the team,’ he said. After that he will travel to play tournaments in South America on clay before heading to America’s hard courts.
His co-coach, Fredrik Rosengren, spoke of his desire for this to be just the beginning for his player.
Edmund will have a seeding privilege at tournaments, including probably the French Open
His co-coach, Fredrik Rosengren, spoke of his desire for this to be just the beginning
‘I just hope this is a teaser that he wants to have these days again. Media, people, the “I’m good” feeling, I think that’s very important for a tennis player,’ said the Swede. ‘I’m pretty sure that he will work so he can be in this position next time.
‘Of course I am disappointed right now, but at the same time I am so proud of him, what he has been doing.
‘He had his days not only on court but also off court. How he grew as a person, how he learned to enjoy this extra pressure, this extra media, all this stuff, more people watching him practise, more people want his autograph. His life changed in one day, as soon as he beat Seppi in the fourth round. I thought he handled it unbelievably well.
‘From when I have been sitting with Kyle one week ago talking about his tennis and yesterday when we were sitting talking, I can’t tell you how much he’s changed in one week.
The Brit argues with the umpire after disagreeing with a decision given against him
The British No 2 went off court for treatment at the end of the first set, then had his best spell
‘It doesn’t matter how much I believe in him. To hear him say, “I have the feeling I can play with the best players” — that is a great thing for a coach to hear.
‘I can say, “You are good, you are great, you’re the king, you can go out there and do it”. Whether you believe that is another story and he has really believed in his level and it’s so good.
‘But he has to compete at the highest level to win a match like this (against Cilic). In the second round against a lower player you can win if you don’t bring your best, but in the semi-final you have to step up in level.
‘The good thing is I’m seeing a guy on court playing a semi-final and it doesn’t matter how good he plays, I will always find stuff I want to work on. He can improve.’
Cilic played a smart match largely neutralising Edmund’s forehand and targeting his backhand
Britain’s Kyle Edmund argues with Grand Slam supervisor Andreas Egli during his semi-final
Cilic played a smart match against him, largely neutralising his forehand by jamming him into the advantage court and targeting his backhand.
The British No 2 went off court for treatment at the end of the first set. He then probably had his best spell after an argument in the fifth game of the second, when fired up after claiming he had been hampered by an ‘out’ call during a point that saw a successful Hawk-Eye challenge from Cilic. He even summoned the referee.
Edmund did not have much of a case and it was an uncharacteristic show of irascibility — perhaps meeting Gordon Ramsay the day before had rubbed off.
Edmund’s and Cilic’s match lasted almost two-and-a-half hours, as darkness descended
It was 3-3 in the tiebreak when he netted a forehand to concede a mini-break, and Cilic drove on from there as Edmund physically declined.
Edmund would probably not have won, though, even if he had been fully fit, and he did not make that claim either.
Next time he plays in a Grand Slam, at Roland Garros, he is likely to be seeded.
If all goes well, it is possible that he, Andy Murray and Jo Konta could be significant home presences at Wimbledon this summer, which is quite a thought.