AP - Novak Djokovic believes Nick Kyrgios is a genuine contender at Wimbledon this year and that the men's draw is wide open.
Djokovic is 44-3 in singles matches this year and has won both the Australian Open and French Open as he hunts the calendar year grand slam, a feat not achieved by a male since Australia's Rod Laver in 1969, for the second time.
And while many are confident Djokovic has an easy path through to a likely quarter-final with Canadian star Milos Raonic, the world No.1 is not so sure.
"You always have the top players, the ones that were most dominant on the grand slams in the previous years that are always in contention for winning the trophy - Andy Murray, Roger (Federer) - first of all, because of their rankings, their history of playing, playing well, and winning this tournament, especially Roger for so many times," Djokovic said.
"Then you have Raonic, who has been playing very well. He has a big serve, which is an obvious advantage on this surface that is quickest we have in sports.
"Kyrgios is definitely one of the players that can go far.
"I think it's pretty much an open field.
But I think the beauty of all the grand slams and of this sport is that you always start from scratch and you always start from the same starting position as everybody else, fighting for the trophy equally as everybody else."
Djokovic gets his campaign under way against Britain's James Ward on Centre Court on Monday.
While Ward will be playing perhaps the biggest match of his life, for Djokovic such occasions are almost routine.
It makes them no less special, as the 29-year-old Serbian reflected on the eve of the tournament.
"There is a corridor from the men's seeds' locker room all the way to the entrance of the centre court, probably the most special corridor we have in sports," Djokovic said.
"You get to have that sense of belonging to history, something that is much larger than yourself."
Share
