Nick Kyrgios is confident he can rebound physically and emotionally from his second-round heroics to extend his dream run at Wimbledon.
The 19-year-old wildcard reached the third round of a grand slam for the first time with a remarkable five-set win over 13th seed Richard Gasquet on Thursday.
His reward is a clash with another rising star of the game, Jiri Vesely, on Saturday after the 20-year-old Czech upset French 24th seed Gael Monfils in five sets.
Tennis Australia mentor Todd Woodbridge believes the draw gives Kyrgios a big opportunity to reach the last 16 at the All England Club.
However, Kyrgios faces a tough task to back up after spending more than four hours on court against Gasquet.
The teenager struggled with the rigours of five-set tennis at the Australian Open, tiring badly in a second-round loss, however he’s worked hard at his fitness in recent months.
“I’m going to do everything I can to get me in the best shape possible,” Kyrgios said.
“I’m going to go through good nutrition, good sleep, all that stuff.
“I think I’ll be able to get up for the third round of Wimbledon.”
Kyrgios also expended plenty of emotional energy as he fought back from two sets down and saved nine match points in the final set against Gasquet.
The Australian’s coach Simon Rea said it was a careful balance in letting Kyrgios enjoy the biggest triumph of his career and not losing focus on his task against Vesely.
“I think he deserves to celebrate it and enjoy it and soak it all up so that when he wakes up in the morning, that’s all behind him,” Rea said.
“Then he can set about preparing for his next one.”
Vesely, a big-serving left-hander ranked 68th in the world, came through junior ranks with Kyrgios and won the boys’ title at the Australian Open in 2011.
“He (Kyrgios) will know a lot about him and we’ve got a lot of detail on him,” Woodbridge said.
“This is another big opportunity for Nick. He could be in the round of 16.”