Nick Kyrgios’ recent performances at the Australian open surprised many fans.

The Greek Australian isn’t known for keeping a level head or being able to perform so well under pressure. Among those who had faith in the 24-year-old player’s abilities was none other than former great John McEnroe.

The multi-time Grand Slam champion expressed the opinion that Kyrgios is the best player to be born in the last ten years, placing him above the likes of Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and, of course, Stefanos Tsitsipas.

His current achievements up to this points don’t justify McEnroe’s statement as Kyrgios has only been able to reach number 13 in the world rankings while his career best has been a quarter-final place at both the Australian Open and the Wimbledon.

This all occurred back when he was 19 and he hasn’t been able to repeat those achievements since then while other athletes of his generation have been climbing the ranks and have a steady presence among the top 10.

Yet none of this seems to have shaken McEnroe’s belief in the young player, who didn’t seem at all surprised by Kyrgios’ appearance against Rafael Nadal.

“The only thing I ask of Nick – this is it – if he goes out there and competes he’s going to be top five in the world, I gotta tell ya,” McEnroe said. “I keep telling him that when I’m at the Laver Cup around him, he’s a great kid, he’s a great team guy, but you’ve got to go out like he did here.”

It remains to be seen if the Greek Australian can justify the confidence both McEnroe and Australian team coach Lleyton Hewitt seem to have in him. This year, Kyrgios was able to turn crowds in his favour after showing a more sensitive side to himself, spearheading a series of initiatives in support of those affected by the devastating bushfires. It still remains to be seen whether he will continue to perform in the same way without the support of the fans who cheered his efforts.