Talented Canberra junior Dimitri Morogiannis will adopt the "nothing to lose" attitude of good mate Nick Kyrgios after receiving a wildcard into the qualifying stages of the $75,000 ATP Challenger tournament at the Canberra Tennis Centre.
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The 16-year-old will leave everything on the court on Saturday in his bid to progress to the main draw starting on Monday.
Morogiannis broke through for his first senior ITF event last year and is aiming to secure a wildcard into the junior Australian Open.
He trains with Kyrgios when he returns home, learning the ropes from one of the world's rising tennis stars.
"Before he left we had a chat and he says you've just got to relax out there because if you're nervous that takes a lot of energy out of you," Morogiannis said.
"Just enjoy it, you've got nothing to lose.
"It's that attitude and just go for gold."
Kyrgios, 20, made a brilliant start to his Australian summer with an impressive victory against Great Britain's Andy Murray at the Hopman Cup this week.
The world No 30 is poised to shake off criticism of his behaviour and show why he has long been touted as a future Grand Slam champion.
His rise from promising Canberra junior to emerging superstar has provided plenty of inspiration for Morogiannis.
The teenager wants to take pieces of the way Kyrgios plays and carries himself on the court into his own game.
"He makes it his court, he's in control of everything, he does what he wants tennis-wise," Morogiannis said.
"He doesn't let the opponent play him around.
"I've just got to play my game, play aggressive, play to win and see what happens."
The Canberra $75,000 ATP Challenger event has attracted a high-quality field featuring 10 players ranked inside the top 100 in the world.
Italian veteran Paolo Lorenzi is the highest-ranked player at No 68 in the world, while Spaniard Marcel Granollers will be looking to get back inside the top 20 having reached as high as 19th in the rankings.
The tournament provides the perfect preparation to the Australian Open and is the highest-profile event to be held at the redeveloped Canberra Tennis Centre.
"It means a lot because you have all of these players in your home town," Morogiannis said.
"It's good experience for me because I'm sure I'll be playing in these tournaments later on.
"I'm stoked they gave me a wildcard into qualifying so I can experience this early and be better when I'm older."
Entry to the Canberra $75,000 ATP Challenger event is free.
Qualifying will be held on Saturday and Sunday with the matches in the main draw starting on Monday.
The order of play will be posted late on Friday night at http://www.tennis.com.au/tournaments/pro-tournaments/australian-pro-tour/canberra-2.
