Is Nick Kyrgios really one of the 2022 US Open favourites?

| by Sebastian Dahlman

Nick Kyrgios will play his third-round match at the 2022 US Open against J.J. Wolf at the Louis Armstrong Stadium as the last match of the programme.

Nick Kyrgios is without a doubt one of the best players this year and if he wins his first singles Grand Slam title, he will even enter the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career, despite the points from Wimbledon not being included. Moreover, he missed the majority of the clay-court season and doesn’t enter as many tournaments as other players what emphasizes the quality of his tennis in 2022.

After experiencing singles Grand Slam final for the first time in his career at Wimbledon, the 27-years-old Australian didn’t hide his admiration for the Big Three as they were able to lift a total of 63 Grand Slam titles combined. With the experience from the Wimbledon, Nick Kyrgios entered the 2022 US Open as one of the dark horses and with every match played, he’s becoming more and more favoured to win the whole tournament.

"People respect him, people fear him" - Kyrgios one of favourites at US Open says Macci
"People respect him, people fear him" - Kyrgios one of favourites at US Open says Macci

But can he really do it and is he one of the favourites? In the first two round, the Aussie played very tricky opponents. First, his very good friend Thanasi Kokkinakis and then Benjamin Bonzi, who’s capable of causing upsets. Kyrgios handled both matches without significant troubles and after J.J. Wolf eliminated the sixteenth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, he will face another unseeded player.

Already his next match against Wolf can be really tricky as the American is playing really well and he will also have the support of the New York crowd. On the other hand, the Australian showed previously that he can have troubles when playing the home player as he did against Paul Jubb at this year’s Wimbledon. Yet, in the remainder of the tournament, he will face mostly non-seeded players as some big names as Stefanos Tsitsipas are already out of the tournament.

Probably the most important match for Nick Kyrgios will be the fourth-round projected clash with the defending champion Daniil Medvedev. The Russian plays very well at the last Grand Slam of the season when he played his first Grand Slam final against Rafael Nadal in 2019 and won his maiden major title last year against Novak Djokovic. However, Kyrgios managed to beat Medvedev a few weeks ago in Montreal and showed that he knows how to play against the world number 1.

"People in his players box should stand up and walk out" - Woodbridge on Kyrgios' antics
"People in his players box should stand up and walk out" - Woodbridge on Kyrgios' antics

If he handles this match against Medvedev, his confidence can skyrocket and push him through to the final. There, it can be the second-seeded Rafael Nadal or the Spanish teenager, Carlos Alcaraz who could be his final opponent. With the experience from the final match against Djokovic, the Australian is certainly capable of beating both of this players, especially considering the physical state of the 21-time Grand Slam champion.

So is Nick Kyrgios one of the 2022 US Open favourites? Yes, he is! The 2022 Australian Open doubles champion and 2022 Wimbledon finalist is hungry to add another Grand Slam success and the Flushing Meadows seems as a great place for him to do it. Moreover, he is also the eight-seeded in doubles alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis and that’s another chance for the duo to do well in New York.

Nick Kyrgios fined for spitting in 2nd round match at US Open
Nick Kyrgios fined for spitting in 2nd round match at US Open

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