It’s been almost 14 years since an Australian won the Grand Slam. Lleyton Hewitt was the last man to achieve this feat in a packed centre court at Wimbledon in 2002.
Young sensations like Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic and Thanasi Kokkinakis are chasing for that prestigious Grand Slam title.
Now, let’s see the progress of Aussie players Kyrgios and Tomic in Grand Slams.
Nick Kyrgios
Wimbledon in 2014 was the ultimate point in his short career. The fourth round match against Rafael Nadal was the best match he played up to date.
Let’s not forget his third round match against the Frenchman Richard Gasquet, too, where he needed to overcome nine match points to win the marathon five-set thriller.
The 2015 Australian Open was another landmark in his career, as he reached the last eight for the second time in three Grand Slams. After some promising wins in front of his home crowd, he was ousted by Andy Murray in the quarter-finals.
In Madrid, he shocked Roger Federer by defeating him in three sets. This is the only match he played against the Swiss maestro since his debut in 2013.
Kyrgios is gifted with excellent serves and consistent backhands. On his day, he can upset anybody. But he needs to work hard on the mental aspects of his game when playing against the top four players. Murray thrice turned out to be the villain for the 20-year-old in Grand Slams.
Kyrgios will improve against the best players the more he plays against them – he secured his first ATP title in Marseille by defeating Marin Cilic. His calibre will be measured when he plays magnificent tennis against the best players.
Kyrgios has the potential to beat the best player in the world Novak Djokovic, but they are yet to face each other. Consistency and momentum are the key things for Kyrgios to be successful.
Bernard Tomic
The 2011 Grand Slam Wimbledon quarter-finalist has never defeated Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic. He has lost to the Serbian six times, four times to Federer and three times to Nadal.
After the strong show against Djokovic in 2011, Tomic’s level has heavily decreased. But he was playing some good tennis in the latter part of 2015. He reached the quarter-finals in ATP 1000 tournaments Shanghai and Paris successively last year.
Tomic has three ATP titles to his name, but he is yet to produce the brilliance in Grand Slams. To achieve the feat he needs to be stable in producing results at the right time in 2016.
But he has already lost four matches out of 10 this season. Though the win against Kei Nishikori in Brisbane saw the Australian move up to his career-high ranking of 17th in the world.
Tomic needs to stay calm in crucial moments of matches, such as tie-breaks, to be successful.
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