Nick Kyrgios Is A ‘Top 2 Or 3’ Favorite At U.S. Open, Andy Roddick Says

Nick Kyrgios, Grand Slam favorite?

That’s where the 27-year-old Australian now finds himself while riding a career resurgence.

No less than 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick named Kyrgios among the top favorites to win the U.S. Open beginning Aug. 29. Kyrgios won the singles and doubles titles this week at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. after reaching his first career major final at Wimbledon, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. He also won the doubles title in Atlanta with Thanasi Kokkinakis.

“It’s a big, big deal to me that he goes into Washington, which is a pretty big event in the lead-up to the U.S. Open,” Roddick told Steve Weissman of Tennis Channel on The Rich Eisen Show. “Brutal conditions….To go through singles and doubles and not to tap out mentally or physically is a big, big sign.

“I think it puts him into the top two, maybe three, favorites for the U.S. Open.”

Behind his monster serve and huge groundstrokes, Kyrgios is 27-7 in 2022 after finishing 7-8 in 2021.

He is 12-1 since the start of Wimbledon, with wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and a whole slew of top Americans, including Brandon Nakashima, Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe.

In Sunday’s final, he fired down 12 aces and 32 winners in a 6-4, 6-3 win over Yoshihito Nishiok to claim his first ATP Tour title since winning at the same event in 2019.

Despite not earning any rankings points at Wimbledon due to the ATP’s objection to a ban on Russian and Belarusian players, Kyrgios’s win in Washington lifts him to 37th on the world rankings. He is closing in on an all-important seeding for the U.S. Open.

“To see where I was at last year to now, it’s just an incredible transformation,” Kyrgios said in a post-match interview. “I just came out with great energy. I knew that I had experience on my side today. I love this court, I’ve played so many good matches here, so I’m just really happy with myself.

“I’ve been in some really dark places. Just to be able to turn it around … there are so many people who have helped me get there, but myself, I’ve shown some serious strength to just continue and persevere and get through all those times and be able to still perform and win tournaments like this one.”

With Djokovic out of the U.S. Open due to his vaccination status, and Rafael Nadal’s status in question after he pulled out of Montreal due to an abdominal injury, the Open could be lacking in some major star power on the men’s side. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev is also sidelined after surgery.

Defending champion Daniil Medvedev figures to be the favorite going in, with a slew of young stars like No. 4 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 12 Jannik Sinner among those chasing their first major title.

But the way Kyrgios has played in recent weeks, he should certainly be considered among the favorites.

(The AP contributed reporting)