Kyle Edmund calls his Australian Open exit a 'reality check'
Monday 14 January 2019 10:50, UK
British No 1 Kyle Edmund fell at the first hurdle of the Australian Open on Monday morning.
Edmund lost 6-3 6-0 7-5 to Tomas Berdych in the opening round, a year after his brilliant run to the semi-finals in Melbourne.
Edmund was the 13th seed but will now drop out of the world's top 20 rankings.
He called the defeat a "reality check" and added: "It just shows where I am at the moment, my level and stuff, and how much and where I have to improve.
"I've still got lots of years to play so obviously I'm confident I'll be playing at a good standard again, but you're always itching and competitive to get things done immediately.
"You just have to have patience and give stuff time to get better, including my game. I've lost matches when I'm fully fit, so I have to work on lots of things to get back up there."
Cameron Norrie failed to build on reaching his first ATP Tour final last week as he was beaten in straight sets by Taylor Fritz.
Norrie went to Melbourne full of confidence after his run in Auckland, but crashed 6-4 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 to the world No 50.
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