"The guy can flat out play on grass, he's not scared to go against the biggest names in the game" - Andy Roddick backs Nick Kyrgios ahead of Wimbledon 2022
Tennis star Nick Kyrgios is set to return to Grand Slam action at Wimbledon later this month. The Australian made a second-round exit at the Australian Open earlier this year and then skipped the French Open as he was keen to spend more time with his family.
Kyrgios' preparations for the third Major of the year started at the Stuttgart Open earlier this month, where he made it to the semifinals before losing to Andy Murray in straight sets. He is set to compete at the Halle Open next.
Speaking on Tennis Channel, former World No. 1 Andy Roddick said that while Kyrgios was fantastic to watch, he was unsure if his body would hold up throughout the Championships.
"The thing about Kyrgios is that, can his body hold up, do we know if he's been training? One of the things that makes him so fantastic to watch is we just don't know where his body is at, we don't know where his game is at most of the time," Roddick said.
The American also spoke about the danger that comes with playing Kyrgios on grass and praised the Australian's fearless nature on the surface.
"But one thing we do know is that the guy can flat out play on grass, he's not scared to go against the biggest names in the game, centre court, big courts, he likes them even more so, you do not want to see him if you're a seeded player anywhere near your name in the first couple of rounds," Roddick said.
.@NickKyrgios looks to be a serious threat heading into @Wimbledon! 🤩
#TCLive https://t.co/8TqKuh9Jh2
A look at Nick Kyrgios' 2022 season thus far
Nick Kyrgios started his 2022 season at his home Grand Slam, where his pursuit of the singles title ended in the second round at the hands of Daniil Medvedev. However, he did have success in the men's doubles event, where he won the title partnering Thanasi Kokkinakis. The pair beat Max Purcell and Matt Ebden 7-5, 6-4 in what was an all-Australian final.
Into the final 8️⃣
@NickKyrgios defeats Basilashvili 6-7 6-4 6-3 to move into tomorrow's QFs
#BOSSOPEN @theweissenhof https://t.co/rejXcHkk7E
Kyrgios followed up the success at home with a quarterfinal appearance at Indian Wells, where he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal 7-6(0), 5-7, 6-4. He then reached the Round of 16 at the Miami Open where he lost to Italian Jannik Sinner in straight sets. He beat the likes of Fabio Fognini, Andre Rublev and Adrian Mannarino in the first three matches of the tournament.
The 27-year-old started his grass court preparations by reaching the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open and will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas in his second match at Halle later tonight.