"In isolation, it's one of the top five serves of all-time"- Mark Petchey on Nick Kyrgios
Former tennis pro turned analyst Mark Petchey believes Nick Kyrgios has one of the best serves in the history of tennis.
Besides his on-court antics and drama, Kyrgios has cemented his reputation as one of the finest players in the sport by playing at his best during the grasscourt season this year.
To begin the swing, the Australian advanced to the semifinals of the Halle Open and the Stuttgart Open. He continued his good form at Wimbledon, where he made it to his maiden Grand Slam final.
He maintained his momentum by reaching the semifinals of the Citi Open in Washington DC, beating the likes of Marcos Giron, Tommy Paul, Reilly Opelka, and Frances Tiafoe.
Speaking about Kyrgois on the most recent episode of Tennis Channel Inside-In, Petchey stated that the 27-year-old has one of the best serves of all time.
"In Isolation, it's one of the top five serves of all time, " Petchey said. "Yeah okay, he hasn't won Majors, so how do you say that? Bottom line is just in isolation, it's one of the best serves of all time."
The Brit also spoke about the Aussie's Citi Open performance, calling it "unreal." Additionally, he remarked that not everyone would be able to do what Kyrgios did after returning from a thrilling Wimbledon final.
"I think we are all going to have to accept the fact there's going to be moments where people are going to go 'that felt unacceptable', " Petchey said, adding, "But, right now, where he is, the quality of tennis that he has put on the court in Washington after coming off the back of that final at Wimbledon, very few players have done and would have done."
"He has carried that momentum and the passion and the desire, and the focus. The quality of tennis, takeaway the tweeners and all that, the way he has played in general so far in Washington has been unreal, " he concluded.
"In isolation, it's one of the top five serves of all-time."
@MarkPetchey discusses @NickKyrgios's high quality of tennis and why his serve is one of the best the game has ever seen on an all new episode of Tennis Channel Inside-In.
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"I was just trying to stay in the match and I survived"- Nick Kyrgios after his Citi Open QF win
Following this challenging victory, Nick Kyrgios shared the reasons behind his success while also appreciating Frances Tiafoe's efforts.
He said that the American put himself in every position to win and that it was a fantastic match since he was fortunate enough to prevail.
"Frances put himself in every position to win the match,” he said, via Reuters. "In those moments I wasn’t really thinking too much. I was just trying to stay in the match and I survived."
"Then I felt like physically I was really fresh in the third set and served well. I was extremely lucky at times, but it was just a great match, " he added.