Nick Kyrgios has talked up his chances on grass, saying he thinks he is a “top five or top 10” player on the surface.
Kyrgios, who is currently ranked No. 65 in the ATP rankings, reached the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open on grass last week.
He is set to face world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the Halle Open after easing past Daniel Altmaier in the first round.
Kyrgios’ big serve and powerful groundstrokes can make him a formidable opponent on grass and he reckons he is up there with the best on the surface.
“On grass, you know, I would be top five, top 10 in the world, definitely,” he told Tennis TV.
“If I’m feeling good on grass, I feel really, really comfortable on it.”
Kyrgios is yet to win a title on grass and his best result at Wimbledon was in 2014 when he lost to Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals.
He hasn’t made it past the third round of Wimbledon since 2016, but might be fancied to make a run this year.
Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge thinks Kyrgios could be a tough out at the Grand Slam if he’s on his game.
“Nick is actually trained and focused on this season, so this is a good start to the grass-court season. If there is any player in the field outside of Novak [Djokovic] that can play well enough and beat everyone on grass, it’s Nick,” he told Nine’s Sports Sunday.
“So, it’s about, ‘How does he deal with the expectation as he goes into this one this time?’
“He is a legitimate force and chance to go deep at Wimbledon.”
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will start as the favourite at Wimbledon while 2021 runner-up, and last week’s Stuttgart champion, Matteo Berrettini will also be expected to contend.
But there aren’t many other standout contenders below that and Woodbridge thinks Kyrgios could get to the semi-finals if he gets a kind draw.
“It’ll depend on his draw. That’s significant. We don’t want him coming up in a section that Novak might be, which is a possibility.
“But I think a semi is realistic this year. And if he gets to the semi and his body’s OK and the head’s still on the shoulders, anything can happen.”
