Interview
Kyle Edmund shares his favourite grass court memories
Few have as much experience of the grass court season as former British No.1 Kyle Edmund.
During his 13-year career, Edmund played at every grass court event in Great Britain, where he enjoyed some of the best moments of his career.
After announcing his retirement from professional tennis last year, Edmund has taken the role of Tournament Director for the Lexus Nottingham Open, continuing his journey off the court.
We caught up with Edmund to chat about the grass court season, his favourite memories and what makes each tournament so unique.
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What makes the grass court season so unique?
Grass is the one surface that players compete on the least, so when it comes to that time in the year, there’s a rush to try and get practice in to try and get used to it.
It can be a fickle surface – you don’t have to play that badly on it and you can find yourself taking early losses. You take two first round losses and you find yourself in your last grass court event of the year and it’s Wimbledon.
The whole buzz of the grass courts season is amazing and I think it is a shame that it finishes so quickly. I always loved it – I wanted to try and finish my career during that time of year but unfortunately it never quite worked out like that.
When you see players – especially British players – do well during this time of year you really start to see them progress both on and off the court.
They get noticed and receive more of that recognition which can be huge depending on what stage you’re at in your career, so it’s a huge opportunity for a lot of players.
On the flip side, British players are under the most pressure during the grass court season and being able to perform with that is the ultimate test. You look at someone like Andy Murray, he didn’t just win Wimbledon but he did it with all the expectation on him which adds another dimension and makes it twice as hard.
What are your favourite memories from your career on grass?
I played Andy (Murray) at Queen’s one year and that was amazing with a full stadium at such a prestigious event.
I always looked up to Andy, it changes when you play them because you want to beat them, but you always have that respect, especially for someone who achieved what he did.
Of course, playing at Wimbledon was always very special. I think I played on Centre Court four times. It’s the only court in the world that you can’t step foot on unless you’re playing and so the first time you play on it is in a match.
It has such a unique feel where the crowd is quite close to you and when the noise is loud it feels quite intense, but then it can be the other way, it goes so quiet you can hear a pin drop and it becomes quite eerie. When you’re on that court as a Brit and things aren’t going your way, you can really feel it.
The best match I played there was against Novak Djokovic in 2018, which went to four sets. I didn’t win but that occasion is something that will stay with me forever.
How do the different tournaments compare?
Queen’s has a different feel because it’s such unique environment. It’s in front of the clubhouse which has such a traditional feel to it. The stands have become huge now but it’s still one of those special courts to play on.
Wimbledon will remain the best tournament in the world but every player loves to go to Queen’s before. The courts are immaculate, the players get looked after really well and you can feel the history of the event.
Eastbourne as well is unique in its own way. Being right by the coast, the conditions are different, but the courts are fantastic, you stay so close to the venue and it’s such an incredible place to play.
I’ll always remember it because it’s where I got my first tour win against Kenny de Schepper after I got a wild card into the tournament.
These events have a way of holding those types of special memories, particularly for the Brits.
Nottingham – where I’m now the Tournament Director – is also where I played my last ever match. When I’m on that Centre Court there I look around and think, that’s where I hit the last ball of my professional career.
Wimbledon is the one that everyone wants to play of course, but you have to get that balance of taking everything in and knowing that you’re there to do a job and to win tennis matches. It’s a hard thing to find sometimes.