Current ranking system is not based on skill and form: Nick Kyrgios believes he should be ranked higher than World No. 22

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios opined that the current ATP ranking system is based more on consistency and how much one plays and not on skill and form.

While Kyrgios is ranked World No. 22 by the ATP, he stands third according to the UTR rating - a rating system intended to produce a consistent and accurate index of players' skills. Players are rated on a single 16-point scale, without taking into consideration the playing conditions, opponents, gender, etc.

In a reply to the Tennis Channel on social media, Kyrgios threw light on his thoughts on the current ATP ranking system. He said the rankings are not based on skill and form but on consistency.

"I've said it before. The current ranking system is based on consistency and how much you play. Not skill & form," he tweeted.

In the men's rankings by UTR rating, at the time of writing this article, Novak Djokovic leads the field with 16.27 points followed by Daniil Medvedev (16.06) in second and Nick Kyrgios in third (16.06). Felix Auger-Aliassime (16.02) and Rafael Nadal (16.01) round out the top five.

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Nick Kyrgios on the 2023 season, Australian Open and Novak Djokovic

Nick Kyrgios at the 2022 US Open. (PC: Getty Images)

Nick Kyrgios spoke on his goals for the upcoming 2023 season and on the pressure he might face ahead of his home Grand Slam, the Australian Open.

In an interview with Eurosport, Kyrgios said that while some tennis players do not feel a lot of pressure given that they get paid well to travel across the globe and explore different cultures, playing at home could be a pressure situation for them.

He said that Australian fans consider him a "legitimate" contender to win Grand Slam titles and it comes with a lot of pressure.

“In real life, there’s not much pressure to being a professional tennis player. We earn great money, we travel around the world with our favourite people. In the scheme of things, that’s not pressure. But I completely understand going on the match court with all this expectation that ‘Nick Kyrgios has legitimate chance to win a Grand Slam now’, there’s a lot of pressure there especially having the Australian Open and everyone in Australia expecting big things from me. It’s a lot to handle sometimes," Kyrgios said.

Nick Kyrgios, who reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon this year, is also happy to have Novak Djokovic return to Australia to compete in the year's first Grand Slam.

Djokovic, a record nine-time winner in the year's first hardcourt Major, was deported from the country last year due to his vaccination status. The deportation meant a three-year visa ban was enforced.

However, in a turn of policies and events, the visa ban was revoked and Djokovic has now been cleared to travel to Australia for the season's first Grand Slam.

Kyrgios said he was happy to see the former World No. 1 being cleared to compete in the Australian Open and he believes no tournament is complete without the “best player in the world” competing in it.

“He’s healthy, ready to play and put on a show for our fans and for our country - we’re very lucky to have him. Look, he’s the best player in the world in my opinion. I’m glad we’re welcoming him back to come in and show what a great tennis player he is. I feel like no tournament is a full-strength tournament without Novak Djokovic in it,” Nick Kyrgios told 7 News.