Australian great Rod Laver has supported Nick Kyrgios for more success next season after reaching this year Wimbledon final and says his stellar form in the second half of 2022 has convinced him he has what it takes to win a Grand Slam.
After losing to Novak Djokovic in his first major final, Kyrgios won the Citi Open title and went deep into the ATP Masters event in Montreal and the US Open in New York.
Laver said his compatriot’s defeat to Djokovic at the All England Club was due to a lack of faith, not talent.
“Kyrgios has every opportunity in the world, every shot you could want to make,” Laver, the only player to complete the Grand Slam calendar twice, told The Telegraph.
“He’s probably one of the greatest servers in the game. He’s accurate, he can play under pressure. I was really happy to see him reach the final, but he didn’t think he could win Wimbledon.”
Kyrgios, 27, who has delighted fans with his talent but has been criticized for his antics and temperament on the pitch, seemed highly motivated in the second half of the year and climbed back into the top 20 of the men’s rankings.
“It hit him, I think,” said Laver, who has criticized Kyrgios in the past. “He realized, ‘I’m good enough, I can do this’. That was the best thing that happened to him.
“He knows he can play and compete now. Don’t walk on the pitch thinking, ‘If I get three games, that’s enough’.”
“Now he’s thinking, ‘Next year? Wimbledon? You’re going to another player’.”
After losing to Novak Djokovic in his first major final, Kyrgios won the Citi Open title and went deep into the ATP Masters event in Montreal and the US Open in New York.
Laver said his compatriot’s defeat to Djokovic at the All England Club was due to a lack of faith, not talent.
“Kyrgios has every opportunity in the world, every shot you could want to make,” Laver, the only player to complete the Grand Slam calendar twice, told The Telegraph.
“He’s probably one of the greatest servers in the game. He’s accurate, he can play under pressure. I was really happy to see him reach the final, but he didn’t think he could win Wimbledon.”
Kyrgios, 27, who has delighted fans with his talent but has been criticized for his antics and temperament on the pitch, seemed highly motivated in the second half of the year and climbed back into the top 20 of the men’s rankings.
“It hit him, I think,” said Laver, who has criticized Kyrgios in the past. “He realized, ‘I’m good enough, I can do this’. That was the best thing that happened to him.
“He knows he can play and compete now. Don’t walk on the pitch thinking, ‘If I get three games, that’s enough’.”
“Now he’s thinking, ‘Next year? Wimbledon? You’re going to another player’.”
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