Why Nick Kyrgios Will Be a Surprise Challenger at Australian Open 2015
The Australian Open is in full swing, and Nick Kyrgios is well on his way to being the tournament's surprise package. Fighting fit and confident, it's shaping up to be a memorable few days for the young starlet.
Working hard to turn the current order on its head, he's been brewing up a real storm. With a great serve game, excellent reactions and increasing confidence, there's a chance he could go very far.
The super-confident 19-year-old is into the third round having underlined his talents in a 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 5-7 6-4 win over Ivo Karlovic. And all this came following his entertaining five-set thriller against Federico Delbonis.
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Both matches pinpointed just how good a reaction player he can be.
And his versatility was clear to see, too.
Dumping the big-serving Karlovic out by returning extremely well, the 19-year-old wasn't afraid to counter the Croatian's game with his own brand of great serves and passing shots. Unmoved by the 40 aces he conceded, he persisted with his own philosophy successfully.
As well as this, he dealt nicely with the left-handed Delbonis—a player who boasts a victory over Roger Federer in Hamburg in 2013.
But it was his victory over the 35-year-old Karlovic that really proved his penchant for causing a shock. Even the young man himself seemed to believe that he had improved since his opening match, when he tweeted after Wednesday's victory:
By defeating a player ranked over 25 places higher than him, he sent out a clear signal to the rest of the field. And if he manages to overcome Tunisian Malek Jaziri in the next round, he could end up facing Roger Federer in the last 16.
After that, anything is possible.
But as good as those couple of victories were, they don't prove his capacity to achieve what Lleyton Hewitt did in 2005—they merely hint at it.
And yet, hope remains, and the fans cheer.
Because while his victory over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last year announced him to the sporting world, it doesn't mean he's no longer a surprise package.
In essence, he's an outside bet with huge potential.
According to Odds Shark, the debutante is only the 10th-favourite to win it outright at 50-1.
And with some dissenting voices out there, it's easy to see why.
Sportskeeda's Pradeep Kalamegam isn't convinced he's ready yet, as he dismissed his victory over the Spaniard.
"Coming to a conclusion, just because the Aussie got the better of Nadal and even though he is a former Junior world No. 1 and a player with full potential—don't call him a star."
But Kyrgios has played a lot since then.
In truth, until tennis' hierarchy can be broken on a regular basis, any major win outside the norm will certainly be considered a surprise. And Kyrgios can hep achieve that in the days to come. After all, the fact is that there have only been two players outside of Novak Djokovic, Nadal and Federer to win the Aussie Slam since 2005.
Down under, title upsets are rare, but Kyrgios is forcing a shift in power.
And against Federer, he has a real chance.
With old and new guards colliding, the Aussie can certainly cause another shock by dumping the Swiss out. To push him all the way, he'll have to maximize his serve and attack the 33-year-old's recent hand injury. But it is possible.
Because although Federer has more experience, Kyrgios has home support and strong self-belief.
He also has age on his side.
And that's something, along with his tremendous versatility, that would offer him extra protection in the intense heat of a gruelling five-set slog.
In short, if he can beat Federer, he can beat anyone.
The excitement surrounding the Canberra-born player's talent has led some commentators to build him up extraordinarily. Even The Canberra Times' Chris Dutton (via the Sydney Morning Herald) was confident he could overcome Karlovic before he had even managed it.
"It (his victory over Delbonis) was the world No. 53's first win of the year and just his second match in four months. But he blew out the cobwebs in impressive fashion, despite some lapses in concentration, and is now on a path to meet childhood idol Roger Federer in the fourth round."
In fact, many are so confident in his ability that they've overlooked his next match.
And he's feeling confident, too—something that could fuel yet more upsets.
As reported by The Daily Telegraph's Jamie Pandaram, he's been eager to stress that his conviction is exactly that—it's not arrogance.
"I've been criticised sometimes for being a bit over-confident with my words. But look at all the top successful athletes all over the world, they have an extreme amount of confidence and belief in themselves. Sometimes I can be judged as being cocky or arrogant. But I don't mind how people see me at all.
"
His words tell much about his character.
Indeed, come the end of the tournament, people might see him as an unlikely winner. And although there remains an awful long way to go, it's clear his skills are already starting to overshadow his persona. And that can only be good for his future.
He might just reap the rewards sooner than some expect.
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