Aussie tennis legends Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis weigh in on Nick Kyrgios coaching debate

AUSTRALIAN tennis great Lleyton Hewitt does not believe Nick Kyrgios needs a full-time coach right now, nor should he hire one for the sake of it as debate rages of the star's next move, as Mark Philippoussis also weighs in.

Lleyton Hewitt says Nick Kyrgios doesn’t need a full-time tennis coach to be successful. Picture: AAP

AUSTRALIAN tennis great Lleyton Hewitt does not believe Nick Kyrgios needs a full-time coach at this stage of his career.

Kyrgios’ decision not to hire a full-time coach has again been the topic of debate after the Australian No.1 advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open before losing to No.3 seed Grigor Dimitrov in four sets on Sunday night.

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Hewitt has worked closely with Kyrgios in his role as Davis Cup captain and trained with the 22-year-old in December, and says while some believe having a full-time coach will help Kyrgios reach the next level, he doesn’t need one right now.

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“I don’t think right at the moment,” Hewitt told the Herald Sun.

“I know he’s got Matt Reid in his corner, who’s a really close mate. He’s around the game week in and week out with Nick and I think the biggest thing is he understands Nick the person away from the tennis court.

“It’d be pointless getting someone that other people have just told Nick to get for the sake of it, whether it’s a big-name coach or whoever because if you don’t gel then it’s pointless, it’s a waste of time anyway.

Lleyton Hewitt says Nick Kyrgios doesn’t need a full-time tennis coach to be successful. Picture: AAP

“Nick is going well at the moment and he’s a really smart guy in terms of analysing his opponents, so he doesn’t need a whole heap to do with that.

“It’s more just around structure with his practice.

“I think Nick is going OK at the moment.”

The world No.17 clinched his first title on home soil in Brisbane before impressive performances in Melbourne, where he defeated No.15 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, displaying a maturity we haven’t seen from the Canberran so far in his career.

Hewitt is proud of the composure Kyrgios displayed despite the intense pressure that comes with being the top-ranked Australian heading into the year’s first grand slam.

“He’s done well,” Hewitt said during a surprise visit to the MasterCard Beach Club at Melbourne Park yesterday. “Coming into the Australian summer there’s so much pressure and expectation when you’re the No.1 Australian coming in and I think Nick has handled it a lot better this year than he has in previous years.

“That comes with maturity and the experience and being in that situation and learning from things he might have done last year as well.

Lleyton Hewitt at the Mastercard Beach Club with fans Connon Thomson and Grace Cosbie. Picture: Chris Hyde

“The way he handled that in Brisbane was first class and he went on to win the tournament there and that put him under the spotlight more coming into the Australian Open but he did absolutely everything right.

“There’s a lot of positives to take out of this summer for Nick.”

When asked whether he would consider coach Kyrgrios or taking on a full-time coaching role in the future, Hewitt said: “Who knows, I don’t know.

“While you’re Davis Cup captain it’s pretty hard to just give your priorities to just one player.

“This year I enjoyed helping out a young kid, Alex De Minaur, a lot – I felt like I could help him go to that next level.

“I like helping all the Aussies.”

Hewitt surprised tennis fans at the MasterCard Beach club yesterday and gave away courtside Rod Laver Arena tickets to the day session.

Dual grand slam finalist Philippoussis was deeply impressed by Kyrgios’ grit during riveting Australian Open four-set defeat to Dimitrov.

Grigor Dimitrov praised Nick Kyrgios after their four-set clash. Picture: AP

“He has the game to go all the way but I believe there’s certain steps he needs to take in order to get there,” former world No 8 Philippoussis said.

“But what I saw last night, he has taken one major step on his own in getting there already and that’s the way he’s competing.

“Yes, he’s still going to be vocal about certain things. But that’s his personality and we’ve got to accept that.

“And, hey, if he’s vocal but he’s fighting the way he’s fighting and he’s believing the way he’s believing, then beautiful. That’s no problem at all.

“It was very, very impressive and I believe he’s making the right steps. “I was very much impressed with the way he hung in there, after losing that first set.”

Philippoussis says Kyrgios should hire a new coach only on his terms “and when he’s ready.”

Kyrgios’ conqueror Grigor Dimitrov led the positive critiques after smothering the Australian’s phenomenal firepower in a tense four-set classic.

Nick Kyrgios during his loss to Grigor Dimitrov.

“We see how fired he can be on the court and playing unbelievable tennis,” Dimitrov said.

“He’s extremely, extremely talented, if not the most talented player out there.

“(He) has (a) great, well-developed weapon as a serve. I think overall he’s done better over and over the past, I think the past months, and he’s starting to find his way around the courts, around the match and everything. So I think he’s just improving, really.

“Again, he’s a great guy. And in a way that’s why we play the game. I love competing against him.

“I know it’s frustrating at times, very frustrating, but in the same time, it’s for the love of the game, and I love the game. That’s why I think tonight was such a good match on both ends because that was a grand slam match.”

*Kyrgios will tomorrow be named to lead Australia’s Davis Cup team into battle against Germany next week. He is likely to be joined in the squad by Matt Ebden, John Millman, Jordan Thompson, John Peers and Alex De Minaur for the Brisbane tie.