Two-time grand slam champion Lleyton Hewitt has given exceptional praise to rising star Nick Kyrgios.
Hewitt, who spent 80 weeks as world No.1, believes the 22-year-old has more potential than he ever had on the tour. This season Kyrgios has produced a 16-4 win-loss record. He has already defeated world No.2 Novak Djokovic twice in Acapulco and Indian Wells. Last season the Australian also enjoyed six wins over top-10 players.
“He’s probably more talented than me!” Hewitt told the Telegraph’s Tennis Podcast.
“The things he can do are pretty remarkable. He’s so good he can get bored on the court. The key is for him to concentrate and stay in the moment – knuckle down and work hard on every point and he has done that.”
A player that has been marred by controversy throughout his career, few can dispute Kyrgios’ talent on the tour. In December Roger Federer said he was a ‘great, great player.’ The Swiss overcame Kyrgios in a three-set epic at the Miami Open in March.
One of Kyrgios’ best surfaces is the grass. At the 2014 Wimbledon championships he stunned Rafael Nadal to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. Since then, he had been unable to reach the last eight at SW19, falling in the fourth round the past two years. Nevertheless, Hewitt believes he has the ability to win the major title.
“He can win Wimbledon one day for sure. He is up there already just behind the top four or five guys.” The 36-year-old stated.
Hewitt’s bold prediction stems from Milos Raonic. Last year the Canadian reached his first ever grand slam final at Wimbledon. Raonic has played Kyrgios six times on the tour with the head-to-head level at 3-3.
This season has seen a decline in controversy surrounding Kyrgios. Last year he was handed a six-week ban by the ATP Tour for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’ during the Shanghai Masters. Kyrgios was accused of tanking and arguing with a member of the crowd during his match against Mischa Zverev. Davis Cup captain Hewitt believes he had since learnt from his mistake.
“He’s done some things he wouldn’t be proud of, and then he gets defensive when it’s brought up. And then he doesn’t want to show the real Nick Kyrgios. I experienced some of that in my career. It’s about learning to deal with stressful situations. He’s learning.” He said.
Kyrgios is set to return to action at the Madrid Open. He withdrew from this week’s Estoril Open in Portugal following the death of his grandfather.
