Nick Kyrgios has backed American player Frances Tiafoe for a Grand Slam title this season.
The injured Australian made the claim on Eurosport.
So, what has Kyrgios said about Tiafoe? Let’s have a closer look at his comments…
What Nick Kyrgios has said about Frances Tiafoe
It’s fair to say that Tiafoe certainly won’t be winning the Australian Open in 2024.
The Maryland-born star was beaten in straight sets by Tomas Machac yesterday to crash out in Melbourne.
After his 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 defeat, Kyrgios admitted his surprise at the result and made an intriguing claim.
He said live on Eurosport: “It’s a big, big upset. Tiafoe was one of my favourites to break through and push for a slam this year.
“He’s going to have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what to improve.”
Tiafoe came through a first-round match with Borna Coric to kick the tournament off in four sets.
However, he was never at the races in his next match and ended up heading home.
Tiafoe has potential and he will hope to justify Kyrgios praise
The 25-year-old does appear to favour the hard surface tournaments and perhaps they’re his best chance of success.
In 2019 he reached the quarters of the Australian Open whilst in 2022 he reached the last four of the US Open.
Right now, Tiafoe is the world number 17 and although Kyrgios rates him, he looks some way off winning a major.
Tiafoe has won three career titles, although winning a Grand Slam playing matches over five sets will be a different proposition.
The talented player isn’t at a bad age to get there one day but to challenge this season will be tough.
Now that Kyrgios has heaped praise on him, it will be deeply intriguing to see just what he can achieve this season.
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