After injury struggles, Kypson flying high: 'I definitely haven't arrived'

Andrew Patron/Delray Beach Open

A player’s first ATP Tour win is one of the most memorable moments of their career. But for Patrick Kypson, while his victory against defending finalist Miomir Kecmanovic at the Delray Beach Open was nice, it was just another step in his journey.

“I'm super happy, I'm working really hard and I definitely don't feel any different waking up today than I do on any other day after a win,” Kypson told ATPTour.com. “There are some things that I did well that I can build off of, and there's things that I still have a lot of meat on the bone to improve. So I definitely haven't arrived anywhere yet. [I am a] long way from arriving. But it's a good step.”

The 24-year-old knows that he can’t look too far ahead. Not given what he has been through to reach this moment.

Kypson was one of if not the best junior his age in the United States. In 2017, he won the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships, where he defeated Sebastian Korda and J.J. Wolf en route to the title.

He spent one year at Texas A&M University, where he played alongside Arthur Rinderknech and under the tutelage of two-time Australian Open finalist Steve Denton. But after that year, he turned pro, and the roadblocks began. The first problem Kypson faced was an injury to his right elbow.

“Originally, it just started with some stress fractures in the elbow, and then it turned into some bone spurs we tried to get removed. A little bit of shaving down on the bone as well,” Kypson said. “The bone was always super sensitive for me and [we] couldn't figure out how to get it to heal and stay healed. It was always kind of coming back and lingering.”

There were two layoffs of seven months or so, and then three years ago he underwent surgery to deal with the issue, keeping him out for about the same period of time again.

“The first time I was thinking probably just two, three months and then it'd be good to go. But for whatever reason, it just took me a super long time to heal, and that was the main problem,” Kypson said. “I just couldn't get the bone to heal. So I tried everything we knew at the time and we still couldn't get it to be where we wanted it. That was the problem. And eventually, we figured it out. But it took a lot longer than expected.”

That time out led to other physical issues for Kypson, specifically a series of abdominal strains. The American spent such long stretches without serving because of his elbow that he would often strain his abs when returning to the motion. Those led to shorter periods off the court, but they were injuries nonetheless.

“When you don't do something for nine months, and then you go back to it, other things start to fall apart,” Kypson said. “So smaller things here and there, but big enough to kind of keep me out of competing.”

For the past year and a half, Kypson has been “pretty squared away” physically and that has paid dividends with a massive surge up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. One year ago, he was outside the world’s Top 500. Behind his first three ATP Challenger Tour titles, Kypson is at a career-high World No. 155 and on the rise.

“It's definitely the most consistent I've been able to play in my career in terms of wanting to play here, here, here,” Kypson said. “And I'm able to do that.”

More than a year and a half ago, Kypson began working with coach Alejandro Gonzalez, the former World No. 70. Although the Colombian is not in Delray Beach, USTA National Coach Dean Goldfine is assisting Kypson. He also has a private physical therapist, Dr. Kristal Nelson, with him in Florida.

“[That is] very important. Even when I didn't really have the option, my parents helped me because we know for me, that's one of the most important things if not the most important thing,” Kypson said of taking care of his body. “If you can't step onto the court, you can't move anywhere. So super fortunate that they helped me out with that and I'll be able to keep investing, and keep traveling most of the time, hopefully more and more with a physiotherapist.”

From the highs of junior success to the lows of repeated injury struggles, it has not been a straightforward journey for Kypson. But he is now playing the best tennis of his career and on Wednesday will play Constant Lestienne to reach his first ATP Tour quarter-final.