Australian tennis legends are backing young gun Nick Kyrgios to put on a good show when he meets World No.1 Rafael Nadal in the fourth round at Wimbledon tomorrow.
The spotlight has been trained on Kyrgios ever since he announced himself by coming from two sets down to beat 13th seed Richard Gasquet in the second round. The 19-year-old backed up the result with a win against fellow wildcard Jiri Vesely, but now faces his most serious roadblock.
Nadal has won 14 majors in his decorated career and is fresh off claiming a ninth French Open title. For all his talents, Kyrgios isn’t expected to give the Spanish ace much trouble. But Pat Cash, who upset Ivan Lendl to win Wimbledon in 1987, told Fairfax Media that Kyrgios should back himself and play fearless tennis.
“He’s got nothing to lose. It’s a big ask to say he’s going to win or get more than a set, but you never know,” Cash said. “Either way it doesn’t matter. It’s just a great experience for him.”
Wally Masur agrees, saying Kyrgios should trust the instincts that have carried him this far. “Because Nick’s got that natural adrenalin about him, when the big moment comes he seems to lift,” he said. “Play your three-quarter good tennis and in the big moments his natural instinct is to lift. Don’t come out trying to do something more.”
In a big result overnight, women’s favourite and five-time champion Serena Williams was sent packing from the All England Club after losing 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to France’s Alize Cornet.
