Nick Kyrgios working with Naomi Osaka in bid to return to men's top 100
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has enlisted the help of Naomi Osaka as he attempts to get back into the top 100 of the ATP world rankings.
Kyrgios is currently ranked 134th on the men's singles rankings, with the lowly number unable to get him direct entry into any of the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Despite another stirring Australian Open, one which saw him win the men's doubles with Thanasi Kokkinakis, it remains unclear when the 26-year-old's next appearance will be.
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He revealed on his personal Instagram account that he'd been working with Osaka in a bid to improve his game, posting a video of the two-time Australian Open champion watching him serve.
Nick Kyrgios (R) still remains outside the men's singles top 100 despite his tremendous talent Getty
"Quick LA session with [Osaka]," he wrote in the caption.
"Analysing my serve to find any small detail. Her hunger to learn was pretty epic to see from a champ like her."
The Kyrgios-Osaka partnership comes after the Japanese star expressed her admiration for the Aussie during this year's Australian Open.
"I have just been getting really inspired watching other players play their matches," she said.
Naomi Osaka has previously openly spoken about her admiration for Kyrgios 60 Minutes
"I'm learning from them and what they would do in certain situations. It's honestly been really fun this tournament.
"I watched Kyrgios' match and, honestly, now I'm feeling like it's not an Australian Open if you don't watch a night match of Kyrgios on John Cain Arena.
"Like, this guy is literally always on that court.
"I thought his serve was awesome. I don't think my serve percentage was as good as his, but it was really nice to see him back and having the crowd so hyped up."
Australian team captain Lleyton Hewitt is hopeful Kyrgios will return to Davis Cup action this year Getty
Kyrgios was a notable omission from Australia's Davis Cup team for this weekend's tie against Hungary in Sydney, although Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt denied that he'd been overlooked.
"For us it's disappointing that he wasn't available for this particular tie, but he's [in] the top five players in our team," Hewitt said.
"He loves playing [Davis Cup] but he has a lot of other things going on at the same time as well."
Despite Kyrgios' absence, Hewitt remains hopeful that the enigmatic Aussie star will represent Australia if the squad advances to the Davis Cup finals in November.
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