Tennis ACT will turn back the clock to start a walk of fame to honour Canberra's greatest, but it's the new generation "Kyrgios factor" that has the sport booming in the capital.
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Tennis ACT will induct Wally Masur, Ken Willis and Keith Carnall as the inaugural members of a walk of fame at a ceremony on September 10 as the organisation starts to recognise its past.
Masur is regarded as the greatest Canberra tennis product after rising to No.15 in the world during his heyday from 1983-95 before becoming Australia's Davis Cup captain.
But Kyrgios is poised to take Masur's title as he continues his rise on the international stage. He is ranked a career-high of No.16 ahead of the US Open in New York next week.
The combination of the flamboyant 21-year-old and a new $27 million facility at the Canberra Tennis Centre has set the sport up to start a new era in the capital.
Member numbers in Canberra have jumped 24 per cent in the past 12 months and there are more than 42,000 playing the sport.
Tennis ACT boss Ross Triffitt has no doubt Kyrgios' career is one of the driving forces behind the tennis boom.
"I don't think Nick turns people off tennis. Perhaps some of his detractors are some of the most passionate tennis fans or players," Triffitt said.
"What Nick has done is attract new interest to the sport, particularly in teenagers and early 20s. That group that may not be heavily engaged, usually.
"We saw that in January when we ran the Canberra Challenger [tournament], we had a much younger crowd and that's what the Kyrgios factor is – attracting a new market."
Kyrgios is seeded at No.14 for his US Open campaign and was on the cover of The New York Times Magazine on Friday as the feature athlete of the tournament.
He will almost certainly become Canberra's greatest tennis export, but Tennis ACT is focused on recognising past players and officials.
The walk of fame, which was announced on Friday, will have inductees names inscribed on pavers in the shape of a tennis court at the Canberra Tennis Centre.
A committee will recommend candidates to the Tennis ACT board, who will make a final decision on which players and officials are inducted.
Masur turned professional in 1982 and reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and US Open in 1987 and 1993 respectively.
Willis was a founding member of the Turner Tennis Club while Carnall was instrumental in setting up Tennis ACT.
"We've got three really fantastic candidates from three different eras and they've all been instrumental in the development of the sport," Triffitt said.
"Wally was really the first player to go out of Canberra and have great success. Ken and Keith both played massive roles in setting up the sport."
