MELBOURNE: Defending champion Roger Federer sees temperamental Australian Nick Kyrgios as a threat at the Australian Open -- if he can keep his focus.

The 19-time Grand Slam winner, who is coming off an extraordinary 2017 in which he won two Grand Slams, will be up against a depleted field when the first Grand Slam of the year begins at Melbourne Park on Monday, with Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori out injured.

The volatile Kyrgios is among them and in good form, winning the lead-up Brisbane International last weekend, beating another young gun, Grigor Dimitrov, along the way.

Federer said his recent title success had not gone unnoticed.

“He’s (Kyrgios) going through his things, whatever he needs to go through,” the Swiss great told the Herald Sun newspaper on Saturday.

“But when he’s on, he’s on and he’s really difficult to beat.

“It seems like he’s doing the right things otherwise he wouldn’t be winning tournaments, especially not in Brisbane because being able to cope with the pressure at home is not a simple thing.” Kyrgios will begin his 2018 campaign against Brazil’s Rogerio Dutra Silva.

Agence France-Presse