Nick Kyrgios, Hubert Hurkacz and Taylor Fritz will be 'very dangerous' at 2023 Australian Open, believes John Millman
Nick Kyrgios, Hubert Hurkacz, and Taylor Fritz will all be very dangerous going into the 2023 Australian Open, according to Australian tennis pro John Millman.
The 2023 Australian Open will be held from January 16 to January 29, with Rafael Nadal the men's singles defending champion. Ashleigh Barty, the women's singles winner, will not be in action owing to her retirement in March.
With the first Major of 2023 a little over a month away, Millman took to social media to reveal that he had tried the new tennis balls that will be used in the Grand Slam and stated that they were very light and quick, which will benefit big servers like Kyrgios, Hurkacz, and Fritz.
"Having hit with the AO 2023 Dunlop balls the last week, my general observation is they are light and quick, especially when new. Not the easiest to control initially, even in the humid conditions where I am in Brisbane. NK [Nick Kyrgios], Hurkacz, Fritz all very dangerous this AO," Millman tweeted.
Having hit with the AO 2023 Dunlop balls the last week my general observation is they are light and quick, especially when new. Not the easiest to control initially even in the humid conditions where I am in Brisbane. NK, Hurkacz, Fritz all very dangerous this AO 💥💥
When one user urged Millman to compare these new balls to the ones used at the US Open, the Australian responded by saying that the balls were lighter than those used at the US Open.
"I think they feel a little lighter, especially when new. Unsure how they are wearing on the Melbourne courts but in Brisbane conducive to creating relatively quick conditions," he wrote.
@austennispro I think they feel a little lighter, especially when new. Unsure how they are wearing on the Melbourne courts but in Brisbane conducive to creating relatively quick conditions.
A look at Nick Kyrgios, Hubert Hurkacz and Taylor Fritz's performances at Grand Slams in 2022
Nick Kyrgios had a rough start to the year, losing in four sets against top seed Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Australian Open. The Australian then skipped the French Open for the fifth consecutive year.
One of his best performances of the season came at the Wimbledon Championships, where he reached his first Major final. The Aussie could not go the distance, however, as he was defeated by 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Nick Kyrgios overcame players like Paul Jubb, Filip Krajinovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Cristian Garin on his way to the final at SW19, with his semifinal match against Rafael Nadal being canceled owing to the Spaniard's injury-forced withdrawal.
The 27-year-old also played some of his finest tennis at the US Open, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Russian Karen Khachanov in a five-set thriller.
Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz was defeated in the fourth round of the Australian Open by Stefanos Tsitsipas, but his performance helped him make his debut in the top 20 of the ATP rankings.
The American then had a poor showing at the French Open, losing in the second round to qualifier Bernabe Zapata. However, he bounced back at Wimbledon, reaching the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Rafael Nadal in a five-set quarterfinal battle. This was followed by a first-round exit at the US Open.
Hubert Hurkacz, on the other hand, struggled in all the Majors this year, beginning with the Australian Open, where he was knocked out in the second round by Adrian Mannarino.
He subsequently suffered back-to-back setbacks at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, where he was knocked out in the fourth, first, and second rounds, respectively.
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