Wimbledon 15th seed Nick Kyrgios believes compatriot Alex de Minaur has the game to trouble Rafael Nadal in their upcoming clash at the tournament.
De Minaur, 19, reached the third round of the tournament by defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-2 on Thursday. Making it his best ever performance at a grand slam event to date. De Minaur has illustrated his talent on the grass leading up to Wimbledon. Reaching back-to-back finals on the Challenger Tour, winning the Nottingham Open.
His reward is a showdown with second seed Nadal where he will be bidding to emulate fellow countryman Kyrgios. The Australian defeated Nadal at Wimbledon back in 2014 at the age of 19. De Minaur will be the underdog in their upcoming clash, but some believe he has the game to test the Spaniard.
“I honestly think he can cause some damage the next round. I don’t think Rafa is going to be liking the ball that’s going to come at him constantly for three hours.” Kyrgios said of De Minaur.
“It’s going to be a tough ask for him, but I think he could definitely cause a little bit of discomfort.
“He’s got a lot of good guys around him. Lleyton is always with him. Stoltenberg is with him. He’s got a good team around him. So that’s good.”
Nadal, who is bidding to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time since 2010, is under no illusion about the difficulty he faces. The 11-time French Open champion defeated Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, during his second round match.
“I know him. He’s good. He’s young. He’s dangerous. Good player. So let’s see. It is a good challenge for me.” Nadal said of the Australian.
With all the hype surrounding de Minaur also comes a warning from Kyrgios. The 19-year-old is currently ranked 80th in the world. At the start of the year he reached his first ATP World Tour final in Sydney. He is currently the third youngest player in the top 100 after Denis Shapovalov and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“He’s going to have a big career. Don’t hype him up too much. Like if he beats Nadal, don’t say like, ‘This guy is going to win Wimbledon.’ Let him alone. Let him do his thing.” Kyrgios urge the media concerning how the report on De Minaur.
De Minaur will play Nadal on Saturday.
De Minaur’s Wimbledon run so far
R1 def. Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 6-4
Aces – 8
1st serves won – 76%
2nd Serves won – 64%
Break points saved – 5/8
Break points converted – 5/17
Winners – 37
Unforced errors – 30
R2 def. Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-2
Aces – 6
1st serves won – 78%
2nd serves won – 61%
Break points saved – 6/8
Break points converted – 6/17
Winners – 39
Unforced errors – 27
