Nick Kyrgios believes he could be among the five best players on the ATP tour if he is able to maintain the form he showed at the Brisbane International.
The 22-year-old claimed his first title on home soil on Sunday when he dispatched Ryan Harrison in the final in Brisbane. He also saw off top-seed and world number three Grigor Dimitrov from a set down in the semifinal.
Kyrgios is currently nestled just outside the top 15 with the Australian Open approaching but he believes that he could finish the year inside the world’s top five if he is able to find consistency.
‘It’s more than possible’
“I don’t think you need to play too many tournaments,” said the 22-year-old.
“I’m never going to play 25 tournaments plus per season, it’s about picking the right tournaments and be invested in the ones I pick.
“The first quarter of my year is pretty hectic. After the Australian Open I have Davis Cup and then a good block of tournaments. I’m looking forward to getting on the road again, soaking up as much as I can in Australia.
“It’s more than possible to finish in the top 10, top five, if I’m playing like this.”
Home backing
Kyrgios reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne in 2015 but he crashed out in the second round last year to Andreas Seppi.
The Australian led by two sets to love but unravelled infront of a partisan crowd in the Hisense Arena.
He says the post-mortem surrounding that defeat in Australia hurt but his endeavours in the Davis Cup have helped him rekindle his love of playing infront of a home crowd.
“It always helps if you are winning big matches, especially in front of a home crowd as well,” he added.
“After last year and not doing so well it left a bad taste in my mouth but I came back and played Davis Cup.
“I wanted to do well, in front of the crowd this week and it’s given me a lot of confidence."