Nick Kyrgios is a legitimate contender to win Wimbledon after proving so far in 2022 that he’s one of the best tennis players on the planet. Yes you read that right. Kyrgios has compiled a break-even record against the current Top 10 in the world (17-17), after upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas in Halle. And keep in mind: All his losses so far this year are extremely high-quality defeats.
Let’s break it down.
Kyrgios has quietly– or not so quietly– made the semifinals of the last three tournaments he has entered. His losses so far this year are thus: World Number One Daniil Medvedev, 22-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal, 13th-ranked Jannik Sinner, Reilly Opelka– one of the few people in tennis who serves bigger than him– two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray on grass and Hubert Hurkacz, who went on to win the tournament. All things considered, there is no shame in any of these defeats. In many cases, Kyrgios either took sets, or took these players to tiebreaks.
Kyrgios Rally Length and Pressure Points
Kyrgios won a few pivotal and memorable long rallies against Pablo Carreno Busta in Halle. While the Australian dominated the ever-important short-rally category, he acquitted himself well in rallies 5 shots or more. Similarly, in the loss against Hurkacz, Kyrgios actually won the category of rallies over 4 shots. The match was extremely close and was only decided in a 3rd set tiebreak. “Hair-trigger” is typically what you think of when Kyrgios comes to mind, but he is showing more patience in rallies– and it will take discipline to win Wimbledon.
The colorful Australian is known for his on-court chatter, emotional meltdowns and bad-boy behavior. But he’s also known for his other-worldly serve. Kyrgios stands at number three in the ATP’s serve rankings, behind John Isner and Opelka. More surprisingly, however, Kyrgios is also among the tour’s best in playing the pressure situations like break points, currently number 11 in ATP Under Pressure Leaders.
What was Nick Kyrgios highest ranking?
Nick Kyrgios achieved a career-high ranking of 13 in the world back in 2016. He is currently ranked 45. This low ranking belies his achievements in the other stat categories just mentioned– serving and under pressure. Because of this, Kyrgios is a dangerous floater and a value pick to win Wimbledon. He’s much better than his ranking suggests.
That said, his low ranking means he’ll be unseeded at Wimbledon. Depending on how the draw shakes out, he could face tough tests early, such as Djokovic or Nadal. That being said, Kyrgios famously defeated Nadal in 2014 and has a career 2-0 record against Djokovic.
His career record in best of five (Grand Slams) is 45-29, which is just over 60%. Translation: He has the endurance and the motivation to compete in long matches.
Kyrgios Meltdowns
Since he appears physically healthy, after playing a full grass slate, the biggest obvious factor holding Kyrgios back from winning Wimbledon is his emotions. While his personal life is flying high, he has admitted he struggles with mental health. A self-professed homebody, Kyrgios says he hates to travel. He picks fights unnecessarily on court. He skates the fine line between needing excitement and controversy to fuel him and letting those tempestuous moments take him down.
In Halle, against Hurkacz, he blamed a ball boy for losing a point, for example. He sometimes feels the most pressure when he experiences the weight of expectations– to perform for the crowd or win matches. Should you pick Kyrgios to win Wimbledon? It depends on the draw and his frame of mind entering next week.
