Harry Bourchier knows Nick Kyrgios better than most and now he is using the Canberra firebrand to fuel the fire for his own rise back up the world rankings.
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Bourchier used to train with the world No. 18 in Canberra but "a lack of resources" saw the Tasmanian product make a shift to Melbourne.
It was in the capital that he crossed paths with Kyrgios, with the pair forging a close friendship on and off the court.
Now the controversial Canberra product is inspiring Bourchier's rise back up the world rankings from No. 548.
"We’re pretty good mates. We practice together and we do a lot of things outside of tennis as well," Bourchier said.
"A lot of basketball and computer games - he plays a lot but I don’t really play too much. Just hanging out, lots of food to be honest, we enjoy food so that keeps us busy for quite the amount of time.
"It’s really good seeing him do well. I know he has had a lot of injuries himself but I enjoy watching him play, but he’s really good to watch.
"He’s pretty exciting and has flair to his game so it’s definitely good to be around that. It’s good to see him do well."
The 22-year-old rising star was in the capital for a short stint this month to catch up with his sister, the city he used to train in before his career hit a hurdle.
Much like Kyrgios, Bourchier's career has been anything but a walk in the park.
He won a match at the junior Australian Open, played at junior Wimbledon and represented Australia at the Youth Olympics.
But for every high, there has been a frustrating low.
He has been plagued by abdominal injuries for years and was forced to battle back from wrist surgery caused by his ulna being too long.
Now Bourchier is determined to start fighting his way back up the rankings and he has turned to the grind of Challenger tour events in Asia to make it happen.
"My ranking isn’t too great at the moment but I’m looking to play a lot more tournaments now that I’m injury-free," Bourchier said.
"I’ve been out with an ab strain for the last few months actually, it’s been longer than I expected. I’m pretty much just trying to get the rakning back up and playing more consistently, that’s my main goal at the moment.
"I’m trying to make the most of playing in those events and getting the rank up as best as I can before the start of next year."
Meanwhile, tennis participation in the ACT has hit record levels with 27,570 people participating in tennis programs across the capital during the last financial year.
Schools were the biggest contributor with over 15,000 school children from 55 primary schools and 13 high schools participating in national tennis programs aligned to the Australian curriculum.
