"No one wants to play Nick Kyrgios; he can be a threat" - John McEnroe

Nick Kyrgios might not have played a lot of tennis this year, but that hasn't stopped John McEnroe from predicting that the Aussie could be a threat at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships, where Kyrgios made the final in 2022.

Playing his maiden Grand Slam final, the Australian fell to Novak Djokovic in the title bout despite taking the first set in impressive fashion. Since then, though, the former World No. 13 has been continuously hit by injuries, with a knee injury forcing him out of action for almost all of 2023.

The 28-year-old made a comeback at Stuttgart to kickstart his grass swing, only to fall to Wibing Yu in his opener in straight sets. Kyrgios pulled out of the Halle Open the next week, citing another injury.

Nevertheless, having seen the World No. 33 train up close last year, McEnroe reckons a fit, focussed and healthy Nick Kyrgios could be a massive threat at Wimbledon, adding that no player wants to play against him even in his current state.

“I remember seeing him last year in terms of his training. He looked fitter. He was moving better. Hw was more committed. And look what it resulted in. He was able to get to a Wimbledon final,” John McEnroe said in an interview with iNews.

“To me, he would be a major threat on grass if he is on. No one wants to play him, that I can assure you of. Obviously, if he’s back and fit and mentally sort of focused, he’s going to give it his all, then yes he can be a threat," he added.

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"He’s a much bigger win than he was a year ago" - John McEnroe on Cameron Norrie

Laver Cup 2022 - Day Three

John McEnroe also spoke about British No. 1 Cameron Norrie, who reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last year.

Hailing Norrie for maximising his potential, the seven-time Grand Slam champion pointed out that the Brit is a bigger threat than he was a year ago, meaning he commands more respect in the locker room now.

With Norrie falling to eventual winner Novak Djokovic at SW19 last year, John McEnroe reckons he could be looking forward to exacting revenge on the Serb if an opportunity materialises:

“I’m just generally impressed that Norrie has done as well … you know, he hit the top 10 and has really maximised his potential. He should be very proud of that,” McEnroe said.

“And he’s a much bigger win than he was, say, a year ago or two years ago. So that alone commands respect in the locker room. I’m sure for him he’d love to play Djokovic in the semis (again). That means he’s in the semis,” he added.