US Open 2017: Players under the most pressure on the men’s draw

5. Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios has the talent to one day develop into the top player on the ATP World Tour. Between his natural athleticism, his powerful forehand, his effective serve, and his improving net game, Kyrgios should be one of the Top 10 players in the world right now.

His temper has gotten the best of him on a number of occasions, however, which has thus birthed the concern that the 22-year-old will never realize his potential.

Kyrgios temporarily silenced his critics when he made an encouraging run to the final at the Cincinnati Masters. He displayed poise under pressure as he upset Rafael Nadal and David Goffin en route to the biggest final of his young career.

The hope around the ATP World Tour is that the polarizing young star from Australia can finally learn to control his emotions on the biggest of stages.

Kyrgios has already made the quarterfinal at two Grand Slam tournaments: the 2014 French Open and the 2015 Australian Open. He’s made it no further than the second round at any of the three Grand Slam events in 2017, however, and has a shaky track record at Flushing Meadows.

In order for Kyrgios to truly silence his critics, he’ll need to capitalize on this golden opportunity to make a deep run at the 2017 US Open.