Can Nick Kyrgios Break Into The Top 10 This Year?

Nick Kyrgios was relatively unheard of when he burst onto the international tennis stage at Wimbledon in 2014 but he has quickly matured into a household name. While quite a few tennis followers may have heard a little more about his controversial exploits, he remains a fantastic tennis player and the young Australian has climbed the world rankings at an astonishing rate.

He is now ranked a career-best 20th in the ATP tour rankings and he will be looking to make a major impact at both the French Open and Wimbledon this summer as he looks to bolster his claim for a top-10 spot.

Ultimately, Kyrgios' time will come. Whether that is now, in six months or in six years, it almost seems like he is destined for greatness. Kyrgios has the build, he has the frame and he has the power - three traits that make him a dangerous force on the tennis court.

Right now, he's not quite managed to get to grips with his natural ability but, when he does, he will develop into one of tennis' top stars. As of May 5th, Kyrgios is priced at 25/1 with 32Red Australia to win the Wimbledon title this summer and, although that may seem a little far-fetched, he certainly has the necessarily talent to achieve this goal.

"Kyrgios RG13 (6)" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by  si.robi 

At just 21 years old, Kyrgios is still incredibly raw and he needs a world class coach to reign him in and focus on improving the mental side of his game. If the Australian has one obvious weakness, it is his mental strength.

He struggles to cope with the psychological battle at times and he is his own worst enemy. In a way, he's a little like a young Andy Murray. If Kyrgios can hone in on improving that side of his game, the raw talent and ability will shine through and it won't be too long before the Australian starts winning Grand Slam titles - that's just good he is.

But before he has the chance to strut his stuff at Wimbledon, Kyrgios will enter the French Open at Roland Garros. Kyrgios has fared reasonably on the clay court in the past and he will look to take inspiration from Rafael Nadal. Nadal has won the French Open title a record nine times and will be hunting down an incredible 10th crown this year after a much-improved start to 2016. The 'King of Clay' will be full of confidence but both Kyrgios and world number one Novak Djokovic will be there or thereabouts to challenge Nadal's dominance at the business end of the tournament.

Whether Kyrgios is ready or not remains up for debate but he's certainly shown enough promise to suggest that he can continue to climb the rankings even if he doesn't manage to reach the latter stages of the two Grand Slam events this summer. At the time of writing, Kyrgios is priced at 32/25 with 32Red and NetBet to beat Stanislas Wawrinka in the Madrid Masters as the 21-year-old continues his preparation for the French Open.

 Meanwhile, the Australian has entered The Queen's Club Championships in the run-up to Wimbledon and he could build some confidence and momentum on the grass court ahead of what could be a defining summer for the youngster.

On his day, the 21-year-old would fancy his chances against anybody but he still has plenty to learn. He could take a leaf out of Australian tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt's book and focus on improving the psychological side of his game.

It's a big if but if Kyrgios can sort his temperament out and learn to control his emotions on the court, the tennis world is his oyster. It cannot be said enough, Kyrgios is a supreme talent and it's surely only a matter of time before he presses on and challenges for a Grand Slam title or breaks into the world's top tier of elite stars.