Karen Khachanov played the role of spoiler to Nick Kyrgios’ US Open bid superbly last September,but said the effort required to oust the Aussie “killed him”.
The Russian,who plays Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday for a spot in a maiden grand slam final,feels in vastly better shape when compared to his last run to the final four in New York in 2022.
In stark contrast to the US Open,where he was exhausted by the semi-final stage,the now 26-year-old has dodged the late-night dramas that have sparked debate about scheduling in Melbourne.
His story will be a familiar to those who watched Andy Murray struggle to move in his clash against Roberto Bautista Agut last Saturdayafter his epic against Thanasi Kokkinakis.
“The quarter-finals with Nick killed me because we finished around 1.30am,” Khachanov said.
“That day,I remember,I went to sleep about 5am after all of my treatments and everything.
“You try to recover,but I think once you miss the full night of sleep,it’s crucial for the energy,because food and sleep is one of the most[vital] recovery treatments,I would say.”
A silver medallist at the Tokyo Olympics,Khachanov’s biggest success so far came in a final overnine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters in 2018.
At that stage he was considered the leader of the pack of three Russian boyhood friends who were considered capable of becoming regular grand slam contenders.