When Bernard Tomic made the quarter finals of Wimbledon in 2011, the tennis world looked at him the same way they look at Nick Kyrgios now.
Tomic rose to 42 in the world at the end of 2011, and attained a career high ranking of 27 in June 2012, before running into problems as he became the hunted rather than the hunter.
Now, after numerous problems on and off the tennis court, Tomic is outside of the top 100.
At some stage over the next twelve months Kyrgios will face similar problems to Tomic as pressure builds.
That will be the next big challenge for Kyrgios after his breakout performance this year at Wimbledon.
The rise of Kyrgios in 2014 has been the same as Tomic in 2011.
With his win against Jiri Vesely on Saturday night, the Canberra talent is inside the top 100 for the first time in his career.
In 2011, when Bernard Tomic made the quarter finals of Wimbledon as a qualifier, he also rose into the top 100 for the first time in his career.
The similarities don’t stop there.
Both had won two Grand Slam matches before their runs at Wimbledon. Tomic won first round matches at the Australian Open in 2010 and 2011.
Kyrgios won first round matches at the French Open in 2013 and the Australian Open this year. Both have also had success in the Challenger circuit.
In the case of Kyrgios, he has had more success than Tomic. Kyrgios has made four finals, for four title wins, on the Challenger circuit.
Tomic won two, and made another final, before he made the quarters of Wimbledon.
The similarities between the two also highlight the potential problems Kyrgios faces in the future.
In 2011, Tomic climbed 117 spots in the rankings, in the second half of the season after Wimbledon. Kyrgios has the perfect opportunity to replicate what his countryman did.
Between now and the end of the year he only has 70 points to defend. He is currently 93 in the world, based on the live rankings, and could rise to 66 if he defeats Rafael Nadal.
To replicate Tomic he would need around 400 points by the end of the year.
The Aussie already has 580 points in the calendar year so the final 400 is achievable.
If Kyrgios does achieve what Tomic did in 2011, he will also face the same challenges the Queenslander faced in 2012 and 2013.
Those include the increased pressure of public expectation, the defending of points from the previous year, and also playing against players who know your game and your weaknesses.
Tomic has struggled to maintain the heights he achieved during the big run that made him noticed.
Off the court, and on it, they are different beasts. Kyrgios works hard for his opportunities and wears his heart on his sleeve in all of the matches he is involved in.
He sees each match as a lesson. This was illustrated in the win against Gasquet. He fought back from two sets to love down, and nine match points, to win the contest. Only a player with huge belief, and confidence, has the capacity to do that.
Tomic on the other hand has been questioned for his commitment. On numerous occasions he has raised the white flag and conceded defeat on the ATP tour.
It seems that he needs to be in a big match for him to perform at his best. On the ATP tour, you need a commitment, every single week you compete on it.
This is what separates the top five from the top ten, and the top 50 from the top 100. Off the court, the support teams are completely different.
Kyrgios has a nurturing family which support the youngster as much as they can in his career.
His coach, Simon Rea, who isn’t involved in the family, is heavily involved with Tennis Australia and the youngster.
He realises what is needed for Kyrgios and works towards achieving that. A perfect example of this was before the match against Vesely.
Rea was happy with his win against Gasquet but knew the opportunity would be lost if he was defeated by Vesely in the third round.
He made sure his challenger celebrated the win but also focus quickly on the next challenge.
Kyrgios did that and reaped the rewards of the third round win with a blockbuster against Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.
Tomic on the other hand has plenty of off-court dramas.
His father, and his coach, is one of them.
So too is his partying lifestyle which has been heavily illustrated by the Australian media.
While Tomic has plenty of time to turn it around, and I expect him to do it, Kyrgios can learn plenty from the past two years of Tomic. Tomic was in a similar position to the one Kyrgios is about to be in but struggled to cope with the pressures of being the chased.
Kyrgios has a chance to break that when he also becomes the hunted rather than the hunter. He has a better team around him, and a better attitude to succeed.
Time will tell if Kyrgios can deliver when the pressure is really applied to him.
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