An Open Letter to Nick Kyrgios, from legendary Shane Warne!

Australian cricket legend Shane Warne has written an open letter to compatriot Nick Kyrgios, advising him not to waste his talent.

But despite falling victim to Murray, who faces Frenchman Adrian Mannarino tonight, Kyrgios was full of praise for his opponent.

“If you start getting distracted by that, it’s easy for you to lose your concentration”.

“In nearly all the matches I’ve played [against Kyrgios], there’ve been a couple of points where I’ve laughed on the court or smiled because some of the stuff is amusing”, he said. He let me stay with him in the Bahamas for some preparation.

“You’ve got to be able to concentrate on the match at hand”.

Already fined and under scrutiny from ATP Tour officials for ugly comments directed at Stan Wawrinka during a match in Montreal, Kyrgios’s antics will not have helped polish his tarnished reputation. It seemed to have little effect on the youngster’s performance as he produced a typically explosive display.

Kyrgios, known for his flamboyant strokeplay, was criticized for his shot selection during Tuesday’s first-round loss to world No. 3 Andy Murray in New York.

First-serve points won: Murray 71%, Kyrgios 64%. Nick Kyrgios, his first-round victim, and Mannarino are ranked No37 and No35 in the world respectively, which means they only just missed out on being seeded. Murray has been eager to add more creativity and variety to his game this year but Kyrios’ chaotic style of play largely restricted the Scot to a night of defence.

“It’s more the ups and downs”. Spin-king Warne has shown some genuine concern for the young Aussie tennis player who made headlines after making sex slurs at Stanislas Wawrinka in Canada last month.

Marc Gicquel, Mannarino’s coach, said his man would hope to use his flat backhand to put pressure on Murray’s forehand. The two strokes are completely different.

It has often been said that if tennis had an indoor grand slam event, then Andy Murray would have won a few more titles. “I think I’m on the right path. I don’t think any of us in this room right now were flawless at 20”.

It is the third time this year Murray has beaten Kyrgios at a major tournament after previous straight-sets wins at the Australian and French Opens. “So hopefully a coach of his, or a mentor, can get to him, and keep him applying [himself] all the way through the match”.

Murray has faced a tricky start to his campaign.