Retiring Australian great Lleyton Hewitt says brash young gun Nick Kyrgios will put his 2015 off-field controversies behind him to rise up the rankings this year.

Hewitt believes Kygios has what it takes to reach the top 10 sooner rather than later after showing glimpses of what he is capable of in his short career to currently sit at No.30 in the world.

“He certainly can (reach the top 10),” Hewitt said.

“He really hadn't played that many tournaments until last year.

“He can match it with the best guys in the world and on his day he's capable of beating anyone.

“That's the kind of power and talent that he has out there — it's just a matter of doing that week in, week out.

“But the big thing with Nick is he likes playing on the biggest stages and the biggest tournaments, and that's big for Davis Cup and grand slams.

“He's obviously going to learn a lot over the next couple of years, but right at the moments he's got a great platform to build on over the next three to five years.”

Kyrgios will play with Daria Gavrilova in the Hopman Cup starting in Perth on Sunday.

Hewitt, who is also playing in the tournament, with team up with Jamila Gajdosova, with Australia entering two teams in the competition for the first time.