Exclusive: Nick Kyrgios a threat at Wimbledon and seeds will be keen to avoid him, says Tim Henman
Nick Kyrgios has all the weapons to be a big threat at Wimbledon this year, but former British No 1 Tim Henman admits he will only flourish if he “can keep his focus mentally”.
The Australian kicked off his grass-court season with a run to the semi-final at the Stuttgart Open a fortnight ago while he also reached the last four at the Halle Open last week, beating second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and sixth seed Pablo Carreno Busta en route.
Although Kyrgios climbed to No 45 on the back of those results – his best ATP Ranking in more than year – he won’t be seeded at Wimbledon.
When asked if he will be a threat at Wimbledon, Henman told Tennis365: “On a grass court his game, the weapons he has, he is absolutely at top of the list of people who will try to avoid him in the early rounds.
“The question mark is never to do with his tennis, he has the ability, but it is physical and mental. Can he keep it together, keep his focus mentally and can he do it in five-set matches back-to-back in these Slams? Can he avoid those injuries that have at times affected him?
“I hope so because I am a big fan of his good stuff.”
Kyrgios will continue his Wimbledon preparations at the Mallorca Championships this week and will face Laslo Dere in the first round on Tuesday.
Former world No 1 Lleyton Hewitt has also backed his fellow Australian to “wreak havoc” at Wimbledon.
“On his day he can match it with the best guys in the world, particularly on hard courts or grass,” Hewitt told PA news agency.
“Anyone that can win so many easy service games like Nick, he’s one of the best spot servers on tour, so he’s going to be awfully hard to break. A lot’s still going to depend on the draw but he’s definitely going to be the hardest floater along with Andy Murray. There’s certain players that could really wreak havoc.”
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