JOHN McEnroe and Pat Cash believe Nick Krygios can emulate Boris Becker and win Wimbledon as a teenager.
McEnroe, a triple champion at the All England Club, and 1987 champion Cash were blown away by Kyrgios’s staggering four-set win over world No 1 Rafael Nadal.
The performance triggered comparisons with Germany’s Becker, who burst from obscurity to claim Wimbledon as a 17-year-old in 1985.
McEnroe said: “The last guy I saw like this was Boris Becker with no fear and believing that they can win this thing.
“Amazingly it was Nadal who looked a bit weary in the fourth set and for Kyrgios to lose the third and then win the match was superb.
“You are watching someone who is going to be a big star in the future. I think we have found the next guy in the men’s game.
“I couldn’t believe he could keep that up all match. He had this feeling about him that he absolutely believed that he would win.
“He is acting to me like he can win the whole tournament.
“The last guy I saw like that was Boris Becker, a teenager who just believed he would beat everything that was put in his way.”
Asked if Kyrgios could “do a Becker”, Cash said: “Why not? If he plays like that.
“It has a bit of a Boris Becker feel about it.
“A young guy just blasting away. This guy is bringing something to the table that we haven’t seen before.’
“It has a real feel of Boris Becker. It was almost faultless, it was incredible. To have the composure.
“His serving was phenomenal. To beat one of the top guys, you have to serve fantastic and he did.
“Rafa started missing groundstrokes because he felt scoreboard pressure. Nick was matching him from the back of the court as well.
“I think he really beat Rafa from all areas and the impressive thing is there no excuse. He’s been outplayed by a 19-year-old.”
Wimbledon semi-finalist Todd Woodbridge described Krygios’s effort as the performance of a generation.
“That was the most extraordinary tennis I’ve seen from a teenager maybe since the likes of (Pete) Sampras when he kind of made his statement on tour,” Woodbridge said.
“I truly thought Nick could win a set, I didn’t think he could win today but what he did that stood out was raise to a level and played at an intensity for three hours that I didn’t think he could do, to play that well for that long.”
source:heralsun.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 