Nick Kyrgios believes his current level of tennis would have him ranked 'one or two' in men's tennis after blitzing world no.1 Daniil Medvedev at the Montreal Masters in the round of 32 on Wednesday.
The Australian enigma didn't lose his serve as he outlasted the in-form Russian 6-7(1) 6-4 6-2 to set up a meeting with compatriot Alex de Minaur in the round of 16.
A victory over the world no.1 at any time is an achievement, but especially when hard court is Medvedev's favourite surface and the Russian won the Los Cabos Open on that surface last week.
Kyrgios is currently ranked 37th in the world, but would have a career-high ranking of 10 if Wimbledon results carried rankings points, after a blistering 2022 season so far.
After the victory against Medvedev, Kyrgios was asked by Canadian journalist Arash Madani about what ranking he believes his current level of tennis would be reflective.
"One or two," Kyrgios replied.
And who can argue with that?
I asked Kyrgios what he feels his level has been the last few months, and where his ranking would be reflective to that -- what with rankings being all but irrelevant since Wimbledon points don't count -- and Kyrgios said "1 or 2."
— Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) August 10, 2022
Nick ain't wrong.
In 2022, the 27-year-old was only stopped from winning Wimbledon by the legendary Novak Djokovic, won the Citi Open singles and doubles last week and he has also reached semi-finals at Houston, Halle and Stuttgart.
Now he is heading into the US Open with former world no.1 Andy Roddick believing he is among the favourites to win the major at Flushing Meadows after he won the two titles in Washington last week.
"To go through singles and doubles and not to tap out mentally or physically is a big, big sign," Roddick told Steve Weissman of Tennis Channel on The Rich Eisen Show.
"I think it puts him into the top two, maybe three, favorites for the U.S. Open."
Australian tennis legend Renae Stubbs feels Kyrgios is close to the best player in the world after his recent performances.
“@NickKyrgios I mean when he plays tennis and keeps his s**t together, he is seriously close to the best tennis player in the world," Stubbs tweeted after the Medvedev victory.
“His serve is untouchable at the moment. Fitness level is HIGH and his tennis acumen is unreal. That effort after losing the 1st set was impressive."
@NickKyrgios i mean when he plays tennis and keeps his s$&t together, he is seriously close to the best tennis player in the world. His serve is untouchable at the moment. Fitness level is HIGH and his tennis acumen is unreal. That effort after losing the 1st set was impressive
— Rennae Stubbs OLY (@rennaestubbs) August 10, 2022
The Nick Kyrgios show has finally arrived.
Will the anticipation, fireworks and controversy eventually culminate in a Grand Slam title?
