When the 2019 US Open commences at Flushing Meadows in New York City at the end of August, despite the distance, fans of tennis in Beverley will have a vested interest in the progress of one of the town’s former residents.
Kyle Edmund is a familiar name to members of the Beverley & East Riding Lawn Tennis Club, which is where the current British number one first began to hone his talent as a youngster. Indeed, the coaching program is run by head coach, Tom Davies, who contributed towards helping Edmund realise his ambitions of becoming a professional tennis player.
Edmund grew up in the village of Tickton and despite moving to Nassau in the Bahamas, towards the end of 2017, he still maintains regular contact with Davies and remains an honorary member of the Beverley & East Riding LTC. During an interview with the Yorkshire Post, Davies highlighted that Edmund is “a great role model for the club’s next generation of players,” when making return visits.
Thank you @AustralianOpen . What an amazing couple weeks it’s been. Sorry I didn’t get the win today but thank you for all the support, it meant the world to me. Can’t wait to see you guys next year! ??#AustralianOpen2018 pic.twitter.com/hYOugUWjDr
— Kyle Edmund (@kyle8edmund) January 26, 2018
These comments came in January 2018, when Edmund upset the odds to reach his first Grand Slam tournament semi-final in the Australian Open, beating strong opponents in every round until bowing out to Croatian tennis star Marin Čilić, who was 3rd in the ATP tennis rankings at the time.
Later in the year, Edmund defeated Novak Djokovic at the 2018 Madrid Open, pushing himself into the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time, while also reaching his first ATP singles finals. After losing the final of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Morocco against Pablo Andújar of Spain, Edmund was victorious at the 2018 European Open in Belgium, making a spectacular comeback from a first set loss to beat Gaël Monfils of France.
Early form in 2019 has seen Edmund slip back down the rankings. In the Grand Slam tournaments so far, he was eliminated in the first round of the Australian Open, then the second rounds of the French Open and Wimbledon. Nevertheless, the positive recent form would suggest he can still make an impact at the US Open towards the end of August.
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are the favourites, and while the latest US Open tennis betting odds suggest the fabulous three are likely to dominate at Flushing Meadows, there’s still the potential for 24-year-old Edmund to cause an upset or two during the tournament.
? @kyle8edmund was on ? in Montreal!
How good was this winner from Kyle on his way to defeating Kyrgios?
?️ @TennisTV pic.twitter.com/UJ2durN16u
— LTA (@the_LTA) August 7, 2019
Good preparation is everything for a tennis player with ambitions to succeed at the highest level, along with an ability to learn from every encounter, and every opponent. During his preparations for the US Open, Edmund has most recently been competing at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada.
The 24-year-old faced a difficult draw at the tournament and rose to the challenge, beating Australian star Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 6-4 in straight sets. Unfortunately, he couldn’t repeat the same form in the following round, losing 6-2, 6-4 against Russian giant Daniil Medvedev.
Whatever happens at the US Open this year, Edmund remains a player with genuine potential to be a future Grand Slam winner. Eagerly watching, almost half a world away, fans and former neighbours in Beverley will be wishing him the very best of fortune.
