Nick Kyrgios - next big thing

I'm ashamed to say I'd lost touch with the game of late and hadn't heard of Kyrgios until after he'd saved all those match points against Gasquet. Yesterday I went to Wimbledon, and after enduring hours of boredom inducing rain-breaks, enlived only slightly by the inane chatter on Wimbledon FM, I made a decision to check out Court 17 and the Kyrgios v Vesely match rather than Court 1 where my ticket could have given me the chance to see the Serena v Cornet upset.

Surprisingly I managed to get a seat on court 17, anticipating it would be full of Aussie fans (it had a sizeable and noisy Aussie contingent, cheering their man on). The match with Vesely (himself a former junior world no 1 and slam champion) was a real high quality affair, and Kyrgios looks the real deal to me. Great temperament - combative, but in the right doses, plays the big points fantastically well and has good skills at the net in addition to the thumping groundstrokes. He also, importantly for today, has a sound defensive game.

From what I saw of Kyrgios, he definitely has a bright future, provided he avoids injury. He won't beat Nadal tomorrow, but he can certainly give him a scare, and I expect we'll see him really shoot up the rankings now he's into the top 100.

Jiri Vesely aint bad either - has a monstrous forehand and is tough to break - though slightly more one-dimensional than Kyrgios. For me, Kyrgios is definitely future top tenner and slam winner, Vesely looks top 20 material.

Both future top tenners. Vesely is a clay-courter by nature but with a huge game. Give him a couple of years and he will be very very dangerous - especially as he is a leftie. Krygios looks to have everything. Don't see him beating Rafa yet but he is definitely a more difficult opponent than any Rafa has played to date.

Look he's decent, and could very well be great... but his movement seems a little laboured to me, and if you could pick a player to come back from 8 match points against, well Gasquet must be pretty high up. Won't learn much from the Nadal match (I think he's on a hiding to nothing personally), but we'll see how he does on the normal circuit. Doesn't seem as good as, say, Tsonga, for me... but in the next few years, he may not have to be.

kingraf wrote:and if you could pick a player to come back from 8 match points against, well Gasquet must be pretty high up.

    Do you need 8 though? Usually a two set lead is all Richard needs to see his posterior and start playing like a world 1000 ranked player   

I am glad to see MrI seeing the way I also see Kyrgios. I have also followed him through Juniors along with Vesley, Thiem, Berta, Peliwo, et al.

Berta would be another promising one who seems to have faded. Golding, Broady and other British juniors seem to have lost their way.

@KR... Look through this list and see how many have been successful - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Grand_Slam_boys%27_singles_champions

Ha, Lendl won junior Wimbledon. That's tickled me.

Just look at Tomic.

QF at Wimbledon at the age of 18 and not done a thing since.

I won't get too carried away with another Aussie doing well.

LK... Tomic has had a lot of challenges, none bigger than his own father and his own attitude. I hope it does not blight another young career. But point taken, and some circumspection is on order.

LF...Tomic indeed has had challenges on and off the court. It has been lack of discipline and application on his behalf.

I think the hard work for Kyrgios starts after Wimbledon.

The Special Juan wrote:Ha, Lendl won junior Wimbledon.  That's tickled me.

Quite a few interesting names on the list. Edberg and Monfils, and see what careers they have had. Tipsy in 2001.

So Andy Murray in 2004 is the last player to win a boy's slam event and progress on to win a slam.

It seems that not so many boy's slam winners are progressing on to become slam winners in recent times.

It took Andy the longest out of any of the boy slam winners to go on and win a men's slam.

It seems the norm nowadays is that it will take longer for those boy winners to go on and win men's slams.

legendkillarV2 wrote:Just look at Tomic.

QF at Wimbledon at the age of 18 and not done a thing since.

I won't get too carried away with another Aussie doing well.

To me, it is not just the performance at Wimbledon, but their overall game.  When I saw Tomic play, my thoughts were "he looks overrated".  When I first saw Kyrgios play, my thoughts were "this kid could be good".

Also, I am not really judging only on how he has been doing this tournament.  In fact, I hardly saw him play this week - not at all against Gasquet and only very briefly against Vesely.  I was impressed with his game when I saw him play at the Australian Open.  So, to me his performance at Wimbledon is more a vindication of my initial thoughts rather than a revelation.

That said, he is obviously very very far from the top, and a lot can go wrong before he could get there.  I am not pretending he is a shoo-in to become a superstar.

kingraf wrote:Doesn't seem as good as, say, Tsonga, for me...

Certainly not at this very moment, but he seems to me like someone who could become better than Tsonga.

summerblues wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:Just look at Tomic.

QF at Wimbledon at the age of 18 and not done a thing since.

I won't get too carried away with another Aussie doing well.

To me, it is not just the performance at Wimbledon, but their overall game.  When I saw Tomic play, my thoughts were "he looks overrated".  When I first saw Kyrgios play, my thoughts were "this kid could be good".

Also, I am not really judging only on how he has been doing this tournament.  In fact, I hardly saw him play this week - not at all against Gasquet and only very briefly against Vesely.  I was impressed with his game when I saw him play at the Australian Open.  So, to me his performance at Wimbledon is more a vindication of my initial thoughts rather than a revelation.

That said, he is obviously very very far from the top, and a lot can go wrong before he could get there.  I am not pretending he is a shoo-in to become a superstar.

To me Tomic can make the game look very easy. He can generate a hell of lot of effortless power. To me Kyrgios is a bit clunky like the other big hitters.

I am not convinced just yet.

Whatever little I saw of this Kid I am very impressed, he looks for me like Baby Tsonga version of 2008, very similar looks, height, weight and game.

His backhand is a monster and a very good forehand and serve, his movements are not great but not bad either, something he could certainly learn watching Fed's videos.

1]Will he Beat Rafa? I don't think so, it could be straight sets to Rafa.
2]Can He beat Rafa? Definitely yes, I am finally happy to see an youngster with so much talent, hard work and mental fortitude.

He could definetly give more than a scare.

Tsonga is a way better mover than this kid. This guy looks glacial (ok, minor exaggeration). Anyway - on to junior slams - this topic comes up quite often, and my response is the same. Not everyone is a Nadal who has the good fortune of having a world #1 living down the road, but I honestly believe that a junior player would be better served arriving at, say, Melbourne Park, and rather than entering a junior tournament, rather find any and all tour level professionals, and hit with them, for all two weeks. You'll learn a lot more than facing some 16-year old kids.

Regarding Tomic, whilst he has been a disappointment and has a suspect temperament, he is still young - only 21, and has time on his side. If he grows up and knuckles down he should be a fixture in 2nd week at slams and even a bona fide slam contender.

I thought the wins for Krgios and Vesely over Gasquet and Monfils respectively in long 5 set matches in 2nd round was quite telling - a symbolic changing of the guard, even if those 2 Frenchmen are examples of squandered talent and wasted opportunity.

From what I saw of Kyrgios I was v impressed - he has a v tough competitor, great on the break points - a quality sometimes lacking in some of the other young promising players. Whilst it is by no means guaranteed that Kyrgios will go on to have a stellar career, all the right signs are there, and provided he avoids injury I do feel we will be seeing a lot of him in the future at top end of the game.

Like I said - I personally don't think he's any better than Tsonga nor do I think he will be... But when the big four are fading memories, he won't have to be

Tsonga has never done anything at the very highest level because he has a suspect backhand and a career which was severely hampered by injury. From what i have seen Krygios has a much better backhand and he is way ahead of where Jo was at his age. Hard to judge if he will be as good as the big 4 but I would rate him above any of the Raonic generation.

Born Slippy wrote:Tsonga has never done anything at the very highest level because he has a suspect backhand and a career which was severely hampered by injury. From what i have seen Krygios has a much better backhand and he is way ahead of where Jo was at his age. Hard to judge if he will be as good as the big 4 but I would rate him above any of the Raonic generation.

Finally we have a youngster who gives us some kinda hope.  

@KR, he certainly playing better than Tsonga at this age of the career of both men, his backhand will give Rafa some headache for sure, if Rafa sticks to his one-dimensional backhand plan the kid will easily steal a set.   

Born Slippy wrote:I would rate him above any of the Raonic generation.

I am not sure I would rate him above Dimitrov, but I would rate him above all the others.

summerblues wrote:

Born Slippy wrote:I would rate him above any of the Raonic generation.

I am not sure I would rate him above Dimitrov, but I would rate him above all the others.

If Baby Tsonga can upset the Bull come Tuesday he will take the honors of the best of his generation.

Come on some way down the line Nadal has to lose, law of averages have to catch and he will have to be beaten by a youngster in the slam some day, let that be Tuesday   

Korgi is the next Tomic. Will fade in next 2-3 years.

Saw the ending of the Aussie v Gasquet match and Richard was actually playing very well. He didn't chuck the MPs away (OK, yeah, he should have won).
Korgi looked very good to me. He probably needs to get in better shape but that can be achieved quite easily. Did well to follow up by beating Vesely. Twill be great experience for him to play Rafa.

summerblues wrote:

Born Slippy wrote:I would rate him above any of the Raonic generation.

I am not sure I would rate him above Dimitrov, but I would rate him above all the others.

Not sure I would rate him above Dolgopolov either.

He has had some good results. Great.

Let's see him back them up.

I don't think Dolgo is that young. Isn't he older than Nishikori?

(Checks... Dolgo 25, Nish 24).

Poor Kei, he's always left out of these young player debates.

25 may not be young in tennis years, but his mental strength has improved since his dad took over the coaching reigns. I hope it continues.

I think thing is with Nishi he showed early promise when he won del ray in 2009 I think and then injury and poor form saw him fall off the radar. Something that might happen to Kyrgios.

Dolgopolov is basically the same age as Del P and has achieved virtually nothing. I like his game but he isn't even on a par with someone like Cilic. I therefore wouldn't include him in the Raonic group and, even if he was, I wouldn't see him as a leader of that group.

Dolgopolov is similar to Fognini. Has loads of talent but not the strength between the ears.

Kyrgios needs to do more than just beat a couple of mental midgets before I put him on par with anyone.

Born Slippy wrote:Dolgopolov is basically the same age as Del P and has achieved virtually nothing. I like his game but he isn't even on a par with someone like Cilic. I therefore wouldn't include him in the Raonic group and, even if he was, I wouldn't see him as a leader of that group.

I would rather add Dolgopolov in future Klizan, Verdasco, group, talent yet no achievers.

Just to be clear, when I said I would rate him above the Raonic generation, I don't mean he is as good as them now. I mean at his current age he appears to have more potential than they did then (ironically with the probable exception of Tomic).

Born Slippy wrote:Just to be clear, when I said I would rate him above the Raonic generation, I don't mean he is as good as them now. I mean at his current age he appears to have more potential than they did then (ironically with the probable exception of Tomic).

+1

The Special Juan wrote:Poor Kei, he's always left out of these young player debates.

Not by me. I've always rated him and see him as the mentally toughest of that bunch (albeit not too hard, considering they're all mental lightweights   )

It's almost certain that someone out of that Tomic to Cilic set of underachievers will win a slam. I mean in four years time who else will there be? I don't buy this theory that some young Boris Becker is going to be a teenage slam winner - 25 is now the new 21

banbrotam wrote:I mean in four years time who else will there be?

You Nadal's doctors, they can work miracles, and have Nadal playing till 35+ with a 3-6 month annual break from now till then. He will have 30+ slams, by the time he gets done.

laverfan wrote:

banbrotam wrote:I mean in four years time who else will there be?

You Nadal's doctors, they can work miracles, and have Nadal playing till 35+ with a 3-6 month annual break from now till then. He will have 30+ slams, by the time he gets done.

You say that like its a bad thing but if Rafa can play to 35 that would be great for the game. Not my favourite player at all but can't deny how great a player he is.

Born Slippy wrote:You say that like its a bad thing but if Rafa can play to 35 that would be great for the game. Not my favourite player at all but can't deny how great a player he is.

No, I did not mean it in a bad way. I just meant that unless there is a clone or Djokovic can do something different (apart from coaching changes), there is not much competition.

The thing about youngsters that I find frustrating is that the tennis tour is much more physical so you have to be that much more fitter if you want to progress. It seems only Dimitrov has grasped this concept.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/28017902

I found this insight to interesting, however I don't think the issue is just restricted to Britain.

legendkillarV2 wrote:The thing about youngsters that I find frustrating is that the tennis tour is much more physical so you have to be that much more fitter if you want to progress. It seems only Dimitrov has grasped this concept.

Thats say after 4-5 years? people were talking about him from 2008 if i am right, that was when old 606 was alive.

Crap, I thought Sharapova was on before Novak. Go on Jo, keep him out there for 4 hours.

DirectView2 wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:The thing about youngsters that I find frustrating is that the tennis tour is much more physical so you have to be that much more fitter if you want to progress. It seems only Dimitrov has grasped this concept.

Thats say after 4-5 years? people were talking about him from 2008 if i am right, that was when old 606 was alive.

Indeed I know they were.

Still 5 years to work out that top fitness is required succeed, not bright.

It may not be Dimitrov, but his coach Rasheed, who understands it much better and willing to push his ward harder. He has pushed Monfils and Tsonga when they were under his tutelage.

Dimitrov has had some interesting coaches - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigor_Dimitrov#Coaching

LF I believe that the youngsters playing the game and breaking through at the top level must understand that fitness is vital if you want to reach the higher echelons of the game. Andy Murray is a classic example of some who identified at an early stage that fitness was critical if he was to progress. He didn't hire a tennis coach who was a fitness fanatic, but hired the right people who could help in those areas.

The younger generation need to take better ownership of themselves if they are to progress IMO.

Murray have gone a bit overboard with fitness, IMVHO. Mauresmo may push him towards using a less physical, and more finesse on his shots. Very clinical match v Anderson, BTW. He seems to be building towards a good end of the week performance.

I would agree with that too. The sad thing is and most un-deniable factor is that it has given him Slam success. Whilst as a fan I happy he has won some Slams, I wish we could see the old Murray with variation.

It was a clinical display today. Very good to see the weight in his groundstrokes.

I think the question for today's youngsters is how far are they willing to push themselves physically.

tomorrow we will get a better idea of what kyrgios us capable of.

wouldnt want a performance ala nadal 2005 RG

but if thats the case, we would have to happy for the newcomer

His only big win was vs Gasquet and really Gasquet should have won that. I mean 9 match points? How often have we heard people say x,y or z are the next big thing in tennis after a good run at a slam and then they fade away?

Playing Nadal will be several steps up from the opponents he has had so far. I don't think he will be fazed by the court or the occasion because he seems pretty confident. He is ranked 144 in the world playing a 14 time slam champion and world number one. He knows he is not expected to win although I am sure he will want to avoid bagels and breadsticks.

I will be surprised if this isn't a straights sets win for Nadal of say 6-4 6-3 6-2. This is not a condemnation of the young Aussie but more a reality check.

Kyrgios is 19-years-old and new to the circuit and certainly not physically-conditioned (yet) to be able to compete with Nadal over potentially five sets. It will also be his first time on Centre Court and against an opponent so very far above anyone he has faced so far. Tennis is now a sport that sees players peak in their mid to late 20s and Kyrgios is still a teenager so this match is just far too soon to expect him to beat Nadal. This is not to say he won't make it to the big time in a few years time but now is not his time in my opinion.