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Nick Kyrgios is the favourite for the US Open
Patrick Morrow
Roar Guru
7th August, 2022
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Patrick Morrow
Roar Guru
7th August, 2022
8

The ‘Wild Thing’ Nick Kyrgios should be the favourite to win the US Open.

The Wimbledon finalist has been impressive ahead of the US Open, making the decider of the Citi Open in Washington DC after his semi-final win over Swede Mikael Ymer, 7-6 6-3.

What makes his lead-up so impressive is in the summer heat of Washington DC, Nick has battled through the likes of hardcourt specialists Reilly Opelka and Francis Tiafoe, where he pulled off match-saving displays with big serves and the usual Kyrgios flair.

Combined with the searing heat which will surely greet him at Flushing Meadows and an under-manned draw with currently no word on whether his Wimbledon combatant is allowed to enter the country, the unseeded Aussie is a clear favourite to win the US open.

Kyrgios’s hard court display makes him unbeatable with a big serve and a forehand to match it with the best as we saw at Wimbledon his flare and trickery injunction with those attributes I mentioned makes him a deadly player.

What doesn’t benefit Kyrgios though is the usual outburst of anger and rage as we saw in his battle against Tiafoe, which was another display of Kyrgios’s behaviour further and beyond what is acceptable as a professional sportsman in today’s age.

The other elephant in the room, as reported by The Daily Telegraph, was the sexual assault allegations that will see Kyrgios’s lawyer in front of a Canberra court on August 23rd.

Nick Kyrgios shakes hands with Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nick Kyrgios shakes hands with Stefanos Tsitsipas after their third round match at Wimbledon. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

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Whatever happens, this will surely be an obstacle to Kyrgios’ opportunity of lifting a trophy that an Aussie has not lifted for nearly 20 years.

Kyrgios’s US Open form has been fickle, with the best result being multiple third-round appearances,
and last year’s result first-round exit against Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut.

But this time it’s different: Kyrgios wowed the world in making it to the final at the All England Club. Even though he had a knee injury in late July, he has shown in the lead up he can match it with the best.

What will be key to him getting through to the big dance is controlling his emotions, big serving and the usual trickery which goes with the Kyrgios game.

I may be a little bit of a Kyrgios fan because he brings what tennis has not brought for some time in flair and fun in a world of social media craze.

With people like Andrew Tate being role models of young men, it’s a similar pattern of behaviour which invites the non-tennis person to celebrate him as a rebel but also an influential sports person bringing pop culture and prime time press conferences which can only be matched with Ricky Stewart’s outburst.

So, I ask the question: how can Kyrgios not win? He has a 2-1 record against Russian hot-head Daniil Medvedev, he beat Greek young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas in a fiery third-round match-up at Wimbledon this year and has pushed the 2020 US open winner Dominic Thiem all the way, as well as beating the big three.

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So, surely the Wild Thing is the favourite to lift a trophy that was held aloft by Lleyton Hewitt 20 years ago.

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