Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev represent the future of men’s tennis but there current fortunes could hardly be more different as the French Open looms a few days away.
While 20-year-old German Zverev has rocketed into the top 10 after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 by beating Novak Djokovic in Rome on Sunday, Kyrgios, 22, is struggling with a hip injury, poor form and still battling his temperament.
Australian Kyrgios was beaten in his first match in Lyon on Tuesday by Argentina’s 94th-ranked Nicolas Kicker – serving nine double faults during a 2-6 6-4 6-2 defeat.
He was also warned for smashing a ball into the crowd as his frustration mounted.
Tellingly Kyrgios, who has hired former French world number four Sebastien Grosjean as his coach, spoke of his respect for Zverev who could be a dark horse for the Roland Garros title.
“He’s been playing great tennis,” Kyrgios, who has never gone past the third round at Roland Garros, told the ATP website.
“He has a massive future ahead. I actually envy him in a way. He does all the right things. He’s very professional. That’s obviously something I don’t quite tick the box for.
“He’s done all the right things. He’s going to have a great career. He’s younger than me as well. It’s going to be exciting to watch him play. I’m sure I’ll play him a lot more times.”
Zverev has now won three titles this year, adding Rome to Montpellier and Munich and is the first player born in the 1990s to win a Masters 1000 trophy.
Seven-times grand slam champion John McEnroe has high hopes for both but believes Zverev is making faster progress.
“Zverev is top 10 already and people can see he is going to be a champion in the future,” the American told Reuters.
“It’s a question of how long it’s going to take before he wins one but he’s getting closer.”
Capable of sublime artistry and brutal power on a tennis court, sometimes in the space of two strokes, Kyrgios has been tipped as a future grand slam champion from the moment he dismantled Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014 as a wildcard.
Sadly, it has often been the foul mouth, the stroppy sulks and the occasional bouts of ‘tanking’ that have grabbed most of the headlines – until this year that is.
Long overdue maybe, but Kyrgios, who former great John McEnroe calls the most talented player of his generation, is beginning to add mental fortitude and reliability to the dizzying array of shots he owns in his arsenal.
The French Open, providing he recovers from a hip problem that has put a major doubt over his participation, is the next test of his ‘greater maturity’, especially as he has managed only five wins in four visits to the claycourt citadel so far.
Two wins already this season over Novak Djokovic and a sensational struggle against Roger Federer in Miami in what was the match of year so far, have certainly given McEnroe, one of Kyrgios’s harshest critics in the past, cause for optimism.
“As a fan of tennis and someone who believes he is the most talented player out there of 21 and under, I’m very hopeful that he will harness his talent and reach the potential he has,” McEnroe, presenting a popular daily Eurosport show ‘The Commissioner of tennis’ at this year’s French Open, told Reuters by telephone.
“The good news is that after the Australian Open (defeat) when the question marks came up again he seems to have taken steps in the right direction.
“That match against Roger in Miami was one of the best matches I’ve seen all year. Tremendous. I didn’t anticipate he would have a lot of success on clay but if he is able to play hard all the time, why not? He can win majors.”
There is no question that Kyrgios, ranked 19, has the weaponry needed to win slams with his serve already regarded as one of the best in tennis by none other than Federer.
Nick Kyrgios
