"She is chilling. I like watching Sloane. Good athlete. Fun to watch.” Nick Kyrgios sees double edged sword to Sloane Stephens ahead of Australian Open

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has heaped praise on America’s Sloane Stephens ahead of the Australian Open.

The first Grand Slam of the year is set to begin from Sunday where players from all over the world will battle it out to secure the ultimate prize. Kyrgios, who is currently spending time on the sidelines because of fitness concerns, was recently quoted in a report where he heaped praise on Stephens and called her a ‘good athlete’.

"Sloane (Stephens) always amazes,” he said. “Like someone that could rock up to any event and win it. Or just can't be bothered. I mean, Sloane, wake up! Slams! She is chilling. I like watching Sloane. Good athlete. Fun to watch.”

The 30-year-old will begin her campaign against Australia’s Olivia Gadecki on Monday. Stephens is coming into the mega-event on the back of a rather disappointing season where in four Grand Slams, she failed to qualify for the quarterfinal or beyond in any of the events.

The Florida-born will be hoping that she can at least match her best performance while playing in Melbourne which was back in 2013. Stephens lost in the semifinal of the Australian Open 11 years ago to Victoria Azarenka with a score of 6-1, 6-4.