Nick Kyrgios a ‘legit contender’ according to Special Ks partner

Thanasi Kokkinakis believes that Nick Kyrgios has the game and the mentality to go deep at Wimbledon.

Kokkinakis and Kyrgios claimed the Australian Open men’s doubles together and are set to renew their partnership at Wimbledon as well but the former believes his partner also has a great shot at singles glory.

Kyrgios had been generating a lot of buzz on grass before an injury forced him to withdraw from Mallorca but Kokkinakis feels that if fit, his compatriot could be anyone on his day.

“He’s a legit contender,” Kokkinakis said. “He looks great. He looks like he’s locked in. I had a look at his draw and I really like it for him. Obviously, slams are tough but with his game and how comfortable he is on grass and how many matches he’s played, I think he can definitely make a big run here. I’m pretty confident in that.”

Kyrgios himself isn’t buying into the hype, insisting that his preparation has not been great after he suffered a fall at Surbiton and aggravated the injury in Germany and Spain.

“It’s always tricky going from clay to grass and unfortunately I played on a little bit of a wet court that first week,” he said.

“It’s a pretty common thing to happen on grass but the knee was the main issue.

“I’ve had a few weeks of barely (doing) anything, just stuff to keep me in shape, and when it started feeling a little bit better, I tried to return to court.

“I’ve definitely prepared better for Slams, I’m not going to lie, but I think come matchday I’ll be good to go and give it a crack.”

Kokkinakis has also been on the shelf for some time but said he gained confidence from a training session opposite Belgian David Goffin.

He faces Kamil Majchrzak in his opening round match with victory likely to see him rewarded with a match against Wimbledon favourite Novak Djokovic.

Kokkinakis said that a meeting with the 20-time Grand Slam winner was on his mind but speculated that it would be the same for Majchrzak.

“It’s definitely in your mind but probably the other guy is thinking the same thing, to be honest,” Kokkinakis said.

“It’s a big opportunity for both of us and I’ve just got to go out and hopefully execute.”

Kyrgios opens his Wimbledon singles campaign against British wildcard Paul Jubb.