Nick Kyrgios has progressed to the second round of the Wimbledon Championships following a four-set win over a player that may one day be his coach.
The 15th seed required two-and-a-half hours to get past Czech Veteran Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(9), 6-1, in his opening match at the grass-court major. During his first round triumph, Kyrgios produced 25 aces and 48 winners to stop the 37-year-old from becoming the oldest winner in a major tournament for almost 25 years.
In recent times Kyrgios has grown close to the Czech veteran, taking on advice from him on the tour. It is unclear when Stepanek will retire from the tour, but the Australian has opened the door to a future partnership with him.
“When he (Stepanek) stops, he might step into a role where I might bring him along to tournaments,” Kyrgios said.
“I don’t know. I’m more than willing to give it a go with a guy like that, that has had such great success for a long time.”
The potential future collaboration comes as a surprise for many. Speaking about Stepanek’s game, Kyrgios was full of praise about his ability on the grass.
“The way he plays on grass, he’s tactically so switched on,” he said.
“I mean, he volleys well. He slices well. I think the court helps him out with his groundstrokes. They’re very flat. He just competes well.”
Kyrgios currently has the help of three men in his team. Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has been working as a off and on-court mentor for almost a year, former AFL professional Matt James works focuses on his strength and conditioning work and Will Maher is his physiotherapist.
It is uncertain if Stepanek will one day become the next super-coach, but one certainty is Kyrgios’ second round opponent at Wimbledon. In the last 64 he will play Germany’s Dustin Brown, who stunned Rafael Nadal in the tournament last year. Brown recovered from two sets down to defeat Dusan Lajovic 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“That’s another tough one, especially on the grass,” the 15th seed said about the upcoming match.
“When you’re playing a guy like Dustin, you hope it’s not a day when he’s feeling it, he can’t miss, he’s enjoying it. When he’s playing like that, we all know what he can do, what he’s capable of.” He added.
The second round clash will be the first meeting between the two friends on the tour. Kyrgios is currently on course for a fourth round showdown with world No.2 Andy Murray.
