Australian Open 2022: Nick Kyrgios vs Liam Broady preview, head-to-head & prediction

Kyrgios will take on Liam Broady in the first round of the 2022 Australian Open

Match details

Fixture: Nick Kyrgios vs Liam Broady

Date: 18 January 2022

Tournament: Australian Open 2022

Round: First round (Round of 128)

Venue: Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $75,000,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv

Nick Kyrgios vs Liam Broady preview

Home favorite Nick Kyrgios will begin his 2022 Australian Open campaign against Brit Liam Broady on Tuesday.

Kyrgios is coming into this year's Australian Open with health concerns and several question marks over his form. The Aussie, a former quarterfinalist at the Happy Slam, pulled out of the Melbourne Summer Set due to asthma.

Kyrgios then tested positive for COVID-19, which saw him withdraw from the Sydney International. He revealed in one of his Instagram stories that he felt under the weather during the first few days but was determined to give his best at his home Slam.

The 26-year-old last played a competitive match on tour at last year's US Open, where he was handily beaten by Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round. Kyrgios also represented Team World at the Laver Cup in the subsequent month but lost his solitary match against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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To make matters worse, the Aussie is currently on a five-match losing streak on tour. However, he looked close to his best at Wimbledon, where he upset Ugo Humbert and was up a set against Felix Auger-Aliassime before injury forced him to hand the Canadian a walkover.

It remains to be seen what sort of form Kyrgios will produce against Liam Broady, especially after having recently suffered from COVID-19. The Brit will not be easy to overcome, given that he has been in good touch lately.

The World No. 127 has made it into the main draw of the Australian Open for the first time in his career after winning all three of his qualifying rounds. One of his wins came against Roman Safiullin, who displayed some sumptuous tennis against the likes of Jannik Sinner and Denis Shapovalov at the ATP Cup.

Can Liam Broady upset the home favorite?

Nick Kyrgios vs Liam Broady head-to-head

Nick Kyrgios and Liam Broady have never faced each other on tour before, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.

Nick Kyrgios vs Liam Broady prediction

Nick Kyrgios' matches are usually difficult to predict, given his mercurial nature. On his day, he is a world-beater, but those days have been very few in recent years.

Liam Broady, meanwhile, looks in good physical shape and on top of that, he is known for his defensive skills. This means that Kyrgios, who has only just recovered from COVID-19, might struggle to hit through the Brit with great frequency.

That said, should Kyrgios hit the spots on his serve, he will be able to hold his own in his service games. But the longer the match stretches, the greater will be Broady's chances of scoring a win.

Prediction: Liam Broady to win in five sets.

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🔥Avustralya Açık'a yalnızca 3⃣ gün kaldı! https://t.co/cSFsoj9x8t