Flashy Nick Kyrgios impresses Hewitt

Nick Kyrgios isn’t one to shy away from a cheeky mid-match dance, but it’s his improved movement across the tennis court that’s caught the eye of retiring great Lleyton Hewitt.

Kyrgios showcased his undoubted talent with a straight sets victory over world No.2 Andy Murray at the Hopman Cup on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old’s powerful serve proved crucial in the win.

But it was his swift coverage of the court that impressed Hewitt the most.

“Nick’s serving as well as I’ve seen him serve this whole week. In practice, he’s been serving big the whole time,” said Hewitt, the newly-appointed Davis Cup captain who has been mentoring Kyrgios in recent months.

“But I was impressed with his movement, and the way he was able to turn defence into offence.

“And that’s not an easy thing against a quality player like Andy.

“I don’t think Nick’s put a foot wrong so far. It’s pretty good preparation for him going into the Aussie Open.”

Kyrgios will be back in action on Friday night when he headlines Australia Green’s Hopman Cup tie against France at Perth Arena.

Australia Green will secure a spot in Saturday’s final against Ukraine if they can beat France.

The Australia Gold pairing of Hewitt and Jarmila Wolfe crashed out of the running on Thursday after suffering a 2-1 loss to Ukraine.

Hewitt lost 4-6 6-3 6-4 to Alexandr Dolgopolov, but he said the hit-out was good preparation ahead of his farewell Australian Open.

The former world No.1 will now front up for the Fast4 teams event in Sydney, before heading to Adelaide for the World Tennis Challenge.

Hewitt beat world No.26 Jack Sock 7-5 6-4 on Tuesday night, and he’s confident he can put up a good showing at the Australian Open.

“I still feel like I can match it with the best guys in the world out there,” he said.

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