Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has played down the chances of Nick Kyrgios triumphing at the US Open.
The 27-year-old has enjoyed the best run of form of his career, winning the Citi Open in both singles and doubles while also reaching the Wimbledon final - his first Grand Slam final. The world No 26 went on to lose to Novak Djokovic in an engrossing final as the Serb claimed his 21st major title with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory.
Kyrgios carried his grass-court form into the North American hard-court season, triumphing in Washington while also impressing at the Canadian Open. He reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, defeating World No 1 Daniil Medvedev in the process.
Many have picked the Australian to be one of the best outside bets to win the US Open, the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year. However, Bartoli is not confident Kyrgios can pull off such an achievement even though he has the talent and skill to beat any player across any surface on any given day.
“On the US Open, he may have a little less of this dominance that will be present because he will [have] to recover while playing every other day, even if they are not five-set matches” the 2013 Wimbledon champion told RMC’s 'Les Grandes Gueules du Sport' . “The matches in five sets in New York with the heat and the humidity, you really have to be physically ready otherwise you won’t go the distance.
“That Kyrgios is a kicker, a player who feels the excitement of big games, a player who isn’t afraid to take on the big guys, that’s obvious. For me he will always be an extremely flamboyant player, who will have the ability in a match to get them all, except Nadal on clay and a few [other] exceptions.
“But becoming a force on the circuit by being present every week is not Nick Kyrgios’ trademark.”
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Kyrgios is renowned for his on-court antics and outbursts as well as his press conferences as much as he is known for his sensational shot-making ability. Among his incidents at SW19, Kyrgios admitted to spitting towards a fan, broke Wimbledon’s traditional and strict dress code, and was involved in a heated back-and-forth with a journalist.
At the Western & Southern Open, Kyrgios revealed fatigue and homesickness affected his play as he lost to Taylor Fritz in the second round. The 27-year-old is ranked 26th in the world and is hoping to continue his resurgence - but Bartoli does not believe Kyrgios can consistently play at the top of the sport.
“He is a player who needs a lot of affection, everyone behaves the way he wants to behave, but we know very well that it costs him a lot, being Australian and being away from home for a long time so at some point it unpins,” Bartoli said. “It started showing up in Cincinnati against Taylor Fritz where it didn’t exist and the game was over in less than an hour.
“He clearly has the ability to mobilise crowds and fill stadiums, but to become a world top 3? I find it hard to imagine him even if when he plays at his level it’s extremely pleasant to watch him.”
The 2022 US Open main draw begins on Monday August 29 and runs for two weeks in New York.
