The 19-year-old from Canberra, who is ranked 161 in the world, is on a collision course with the big-serving Canadian at Roland Garros in a challenging first-round encounter.

Raonic, 23, is ranked No. 9 in the world, has five career singles titles on the ATP circuit under his belt and is coming off a semi-final appearance at the Rome Masters, where he pushed Novak Djokovic to three sets.

Kyrgios, though, has impressive form of his own, winning back-to-back clay titles on the second-tier Challenger level in the US and he upset Radek Stepanek at last year's French Open.

Woodbridge said taking on a top-10 opponent like Raonic would be a great opportunity for Kyrgios - a $6.25 outsider with the bookmakers - to continue his development.

"It's not the ideal draw, but it's a match that Nick can get himself into,'' Woodbridge said.

"It's a draw for Raonic where he will be thinking, 'that's a tough one for me'.

''Nick has got to go into it with a mindset of he's got nothing to lose and it's a great opportunity to showcase his talents on the main stage.''

Woodbridge expected there would be a lot of short points given both players possessed big serves and that Kyrgios would have to make the most of his chances when they came.

''It's about staying competitive and not getting disheartened against a guy who's going to bomb 25 or 30 aces in a five-set match,'' Woodbridge said. ''You just have to accept it and just keep fighting.

''Nick thrives in that he's not scared to take on a shot if he gets the opportunity.

''He's not a cautious player; he sees the time to go for something and he takes it.

''So far in his short career he's managed to make those shots on big points, and that's an attribute you really can't teach.''

Having already forced his way into the Australian Davis Cup team, Kyrgios is on the verge of a breakout year after his outstanding performance at this year's Australian Open.

He has battled back from an elbow injury that forced him off the circuit for a couple months before winning claycourt titles in Savannah and Sarasota in successive weeks.

"The ability to come back from a lay-off due to injury and rehab and train and win two Challengers is a really great sign,'' Woodbridge said.

''It shows he can step up and can handle dealing with expectations.

''The key for him coming into these next six weeks, two grand slams, is understanding and dealing with the fact he comes in with people watching and thinking he's going to do really well.

''He's got to match those expectations with his own and not put too much pressure on himself.''