Nick Kyrgios' nerveless Wimbledon showing has convinced Lleyton Hewitt he'll be leaving Australian tennis in good hands when he retires.
Hewitt bowed out of his 16th Wimbledon campaign with a five-set defeat to Poland's Jerzy Janowicz on Friday, leaving 19-year-old Kyrgios as the only Australian to reach the third round.
Kyrgios, the youngest man in the men's draw, caused a Wimbledon sensation when he fought back from two sets down and saved nine match points to upset French 13th seed Richard Gasquet on Thursday.
Hewitt, 33, is unsure when he'll call time on his career but he believes the likes of Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic can ensure a strong Australian presence at big tournaments in the coming years.
"How he (Kyrgios) handled the situation was fantastic," Hewitt said.
"It's good being 19 and going out there and just going for it even when you're down match points
"Much in the same way as Bernie can go out there and play big tennis on the big stage, that's a huge positive for Australian tennis moving forward.
"You want to be able to go out here and not tighten up and play your best tennis at these tournaments."
Hewitt said the performances also bode well for Australia's Davis Cup team, which will attempt to return to the competition's top tier against Uzbekistan in September.
Kyrgios faces 20-year-old Czech Jiri Vesely in the third round on Saturday (2030 AEST).
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