Say what you want about Nick Kyrgios, but his return to action is good for the sport. The Australian brings a lot of energy and drama to the ATP Tour, and with that comes a few extra eyeballs. He’s like tennis’ CM Punk. Well, Kyrgios is set to face world number 86 Jacob Fearnley in the first round of the Australian Open, and fans in Melbourne are going to be dying to see their guy live.
The atmosphere in this match should be absolutely electric. However, Fearnley is going to feel pretty good playing the role of spoiler. And at higher odds, it’s worth supporting.
Fearnley may not have as much big match experience as Kyrgios, but we saw the 23-year-old go blow-for-blow with Novak Djokovic in the second round of Wimbledon last year. The Serb won that match 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 and it really felt like it could have gone either way. So, Fearnley knows what it takes to perform at a high level on a big stage, and he also knows what it takes to win matches. Last year, Fearnley went 30-4 and won four titles at the ATP Challenger level, and three of those titles were won on hard courts.
Of course, there is a big difference between Challenger Tour tennis and ATP level tennis. But winning is winning, and through no fault of his own, we haven’t seen Kyrgios win a singles match since October 2022.
Read more: Nick Kyrgios salutes Novak Djokovic after doubles victory in Brisbane
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