"The one thing Nick Kyrgios had always had is that he is not afraid; it doesn't matter who you are – Big-3, Hall of Famer, World No. 1 – he's just not afraid" - Mitch Michals
Nick Kyrgios' run at the Canadian Open — during which he also beat World No.1 Daniil Medvedev — came to an end after a tight three-set defeat against Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals.
The loss, however, does not take away from the Aussie's sensational form of late. His run to a maiden Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and a return to the top 50 in the world rankings hasn't gone unnoticed by the tennis world.
Dissecting his game and on-court attitude in the latest episode of the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, host Mitch Michals said the one stand-out feature in Kyrgios' personality was that he was not afraid of playing his own brand of tennis — whether he is playing the World No. 1 or a member of the Big 3 (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal).
"I mean, the one thing [Nick Kyrgios] has always had through all the ups and downs is that he is not afraid," Michals said. "He doesn't matter who you are. Big-3, Hall of Famer, World No. 1, just not afraid out there."
"He's keeping it real, he's keeping it simple."
Despite the loss today, @NicolasPereira explains how @NickKyrgios is in the zone, & is able to raise his level against the very best on Tennis Channel Inside-In.
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Former tennis player Nicolas Pereira, who joined Michals on the podcast, meanwhile, said the Aussie had the ability to simplify the sport and keep things "real." He went on to say that Kyrgios' winning head-to-head record against quite a few top players alone was testament to his ability.
"He plays it basketball style, you know," Periera said. "He's so loose, then he goes in between the legs, hits a second service as hard as he can, but, you know, he's keeping it real, he's giving it simple."
"I was looking for something here that was sent to me this morning, he has a winning record against the top players. All of them," he conitnued. "So that gets you thinking if this guy gets motivated and you know, he's going to get better seedings as he climbs the ranking. Unfortunately, he didn't get the points for Wimbledon but he would be 14, 15 in the world right now."
Nick Kyrgios to return to top 30 in the world rankings
Nick Kyrgios' run to the quarterfinals at the ATP 1000 event in Montreal will see him make a significant climb up the rankings ladder.
Currently ranked at No. 37 with a total of 1,205 ranking points, the Aussie will jump nine spots in the rankings to return to the top 30 at No. 28. He has raked in a total of 180 ranking points from his showing in Montreal.
Kyrgios will next head to Cincinnati to compete in the Western & Southern Open, the last stop before the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year — the US Open. He will open his campaign against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.