Is this our new Wimbledon Men’s champion?

We’re just a few weeks away from one of the most prestigious events on the tennis calendar – Wimbledon, which kicks off in London on 29th June.

The event attracted some controversy this year when it was announced that the date would be pushed back by a week in order to give athletes time to recover from the French Open, which finishes on 7th June. This was certainly welcome news for some stars, including Andy Murray, who recently withdrew from the Italian Open owing to fatigue, giving him time to prepare for Roland-Garros.

But while added recovery time might be just what the doctor ordered for Murray, some experts are suggesting the World #3 could have some competition for the Wimbledon title this year. Step forward: Nick Kyrgios, the Australian who is now being touted as a contender for the coveted trophy in 2015. Currently at 33/1, the 20-year-old is behind usual favourites such as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but it seems the youngster has got a lot to prove.

Fellow Australian and doubles champion Todd Woodbridge has spoken highly of Kyrgios, saying: “I like his chances of winning at Wimbledon, not necessarily this year.

“At times I’ve heard him say ‘I don’t like grass’, he gets a bit negative upon it. But I think that [surface is] great for him, he’s got really good hands, he can adapt and move forward well, he gets a lot of free points on his serve and people are afraid of his game style on that surface.”

For such a youngster, Kyrgios has certainly made his mark upon the professional tennis circuit. He made his grand slam debut at the French Open in 2013, managing to beat former top-10 Radek Stepanek through to the second round. While he has not fared as well at Roland-Garros, he has previously made the quarter finals at both the Australian Open and the aforementioned Wimbledon in the last 12 months.

Woodbridge added: “Nick’s a great hard-courter, he’s going to perform well at the Australian and US Opens too, but I always felt Wimbledon was a surface where 50 per cent of the draw don’t like it and mentally go in with a negative attitude.”

At just 20 years old, Kyrgios certainly has time to adjust to playing a variety of different court styles – time will only tell however if 2015 is his year.