There’s a reason why Andy Murray has called him “the next big Aussie star” and this fortnight at Wimbledon, Nick Kyrgios is showing it.
After saving a record nine match points to defeat former semi-finalist Richard Gasquet in the second round, Kyrgios backed it up with another battling victory over fellow wildcard Jiri Vesely, to make the fourth round here on his debut at the All England Club.
The 19-year-old Australian is the youngest player in the top-200 and will be facing the biggest challenge of his career when he faces world No1 Rafael Nadal in the last 16 on Tuesday.
A former top-ranked junior, Kyrgios is bidding to become the first teenager to defeat a world No1 since Nadal beat Roger Federer in the 2005 French Open.
Ranked a career-high 144, Kyrgios is contesting just his fifth career grand slam main draw and he admits he surprised himself by storming into the fourth round.
“I never thought that I would be seeing Nadal in my fourth round Wimbledon in my 19th year,” said Kyrgios.
“I thought it would take years and years of work to finally have an opportunity like that. To think that it's going to happen in about a day is daunting but so exciting as well.
“I'm overwhelmed with happiness.”
The Canberra native, who also has Greek and Malaysian roots, is known for his blasting serves and big groundstrokes and has already won four Challenger titles on all three surfaces – hard, clay and grass.
He’s currently on an 11-match winning streak on grass having won Nottingham as a qualifier right before Wimbledon.
Kyrgios has struck 76 aces in his first three rounds and he donates five pounds for every ace he strikes to the charity of the late Elena Baltacha.
He’ll be looking to hit more against Nadal today.
“I think my serve is going to be a massive, massive part of that match for me to get into the match, as well. I think I have been serving really well, so I think that's going to be the main thing,” he said.
“I have nothing to lose out there. Anything is possible. I'm just going to go out there and play my game. I think that's definitely enough to be competitive.”
Kyrgios has played 13 sets of tennis in opening week, including the five-setter against Gasquet, where the Australian came back from two sets down.
“I'm physically a little bit sore, but I think that's normal. I'm doing all the right things to keep backing up, and mentally I'm actually fine,” he adds.
“I have a day and a half now to recover. I thought I backed up really well from my five‑set match against Gasquet. Rafa is probably the fittest guy on tour, and one of the strongest, too. He will have no worries. I'm just going to go out there. It's grass, so it's a bit more forgiving on your body and the points are shorter. I think I'll be okay.”
Asked if he believes he can beat Nadal, Kyrgios said: “Yeah.
“I think I thrive on those opportunities to play in front of a big crowd. I love it. I will be interacting a bit with them. It's going to be really exciting.”
If Kyrgios does pull off the upset, he would be the youngest player to make the Wimbledon quarter-finals since his compatriot Bernard Tomic in 2011.
Tomic has been unable to reach that stage a major again since then and has suffered many setbacks both on and off the court.
“I’m really good friends with Bernard. He’s a hell of a player. He’s unbelievably talented. It’s a learning experience and sure I can learn from some of the mistakes he’s made in the past but he’s still young,” said Kyrgios.
Meanwhile, Nadal says he’s aware of Kyrgios’ aggressive game and is ready for a tough encounter.
“I saw him play in Australia this year. I remember that match against (Benoit) Paire,” said Nadal of his upcoming opponent.
“He has a great serve. He's aggressive player.
“Young players are very dangerous as always the young players have something special. They are able to play with no pressure. They are fresh. It’s good to have new players on tour, that's real."
