Kyrgios
Australia's Nick Kyrgios throws his racquet during his third round match against Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park, Australia, January 22, 2016. Reuters/Jason Reed

Australia's Nick Kyrgios could be the dark horse to upset Novak Djokovic’s complete dominance this season, a report claims.

Kyrgios is playing the best season of his young career after winning his maiden ATP World Tour title at the Open 13 in Marseille last week, defeating the likes of Richard Gasquet and Tomas Berdych. The 20-year-old Canberran is bound for a breakthrough season and could be a legitimate contender against Djokovic if he continues to climb the ranks in the next several months, according to Jeremy Eckstein of Bleacher Report.

“Considering that nobody else can rival Djokovic, Kyrgios might stand the best chance to climb the ranks in the next several months as a dynamic foil to the impeccable Serb,” Eckstein wrote. “If Kyrgios is able to gain greater strength during the next few tournaments on hard courts, he could announce his legitimacy to be a Wimbledon and US Open contender by summer.”

However, there are still plenty of flaws in Kyrgios’ game despite his improved offense and defense. Kyrgios’ serve has been taking off the pressure on his return game and his retrieving on defense has been good, particularly when he goes for a forehand corner, but the Aussie teen bad boy’s backhand coverage is still something he needs to improve on.

Kyrgios will have a chance to test his skills and prove himself once more against top players in the ATP World rankings at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The Aussie youngster is through to the quarterfinal round, where he faces Berdych, and a possible showdown with world No. 4 Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals.

“He’s full of fireworks on the court — in a good way,” Berdych said of Kyrgios, reports the ATP’s official website. “He’s playing really aggressive. He’s going for a lot of shots, risking a lot.”

It would be another great year for Australian Tennis if Kyrgios lives up to his potential and gets past his on-court antics. Being the one to upset Djokovic would ultimately serve as a great opportunity for the Aussie to be considered as a threat to the Big Four of the sport.

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