Back in 1987, a brash 22-year-old Australian named Pat Cash won his first grand slam, breaking a 20-year drought for Aussies at Wimbledon.

Could history repeat over the next fortnight, as 22-year-old Nick Kyrgios takes his fourth shot at the prestigious All England Championship?

His past results on the Wimbledon grass suggest it can.

On his centre-court debut three years ago, 19-year-old Kyrgios stunned then world No.1 Rafael Nadal on the way to the quarter-finals.

He has lost in the fourth round in his past two attempts, beaten in 2015 by Frenchman Richard Gasquet and last year by eventual champion Andy Murray.

But two-time grand slam semi-finalist and former Davis Cup captain Wally Masur is confident Kyrgios has the game to go all the way.

“Nick, when he’s playing his best tennis, there’s really just a handful of players that would really bother him,” he told The New Daily.

“He’s got such a big game he can virtually take people out of the equation and control the match, and on grass that’s even more so.”

While Masur believes the new generation of players are on the rise, he says you just can’t discount the ‘big four’ at Wimbledon.

Having said that, Masur does not think Nadal will be ready for grass court tennis, having taken a break after the monumental feat of claiming his 10th French Open title.

“Roger [Federer] is obviously a huge threat at Wimbledon,” he said.

“Andy and Novak haven’t been at their absolute best this season, but Andy can play well on the grass so he’s dangerous.

“Nick would certainly have his eyes on those top players, and also just running into the big servers.”

Masur says it’s a mistake to dismiss Kyrgios, the 20th seed, as just one of those big servers.

“He serves tremendously well, obviously, but he’s got a lot of game from the back of the court, too, and he likes to engage and play tennis.”

Daria Gavrilova has been in good form recently. Photo: Getty

Now Tennis Australia’s performance director, Masur will also be keeping a keen eye on Bernard Tomic.

“The big thing for Bernie is that the surface just suits his game style: he’s very linear, he hits the ball pretty flat, he hits his forehand almost inside out, so he provides a very difficult ball for his opponents on grass, and he’s got an extremely accurate serve,” he said.

“He’s got a game that’s almost tailor-made for grass.”

Two other Aussie men, Thanasi Kokkinakis and John Millman, are on the comeback trail from long-term injury issues, while 23-year-old Andrew Whittington has also made it through qualifying into the main draw.

The women

World No.21 Daria Gavrilova leads the Aussie charge in the women’s draw, with Samantha Stosur sidelined through a hand injury.

“Dasha’s a great counter-puncher and she moves really well, and they’re two aspects that are important on grass,” Masur said.

“She’s obviously having a great season and that’s been rewarded with a No.20 seed.

“Ash Barty is someone to watch; she’s having a great year.

“It’s pretty amazing that she went off and played cricket [for Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League] and has come back to the sport so successfully.

“We’ve got a couple of other girls – Arina Rodionova and Destanee Aiava – through qualifying. Hopefully they can push through to the second week.”

The tournament is without defending champion Serena Williams, who’s pregnant, as well as the injured Maria Sharapova.

“It’s a bit like the French Open,” Masur said.

“Without Serena and Sharapova there’s this amazing opportunity for whoever can just get it right, and getting it right might mean getting through a couple of tough matches in that first week and finding your very best tennis in the second week and handling the occasion.”