McENROE TIPS KYLE TO BE TOP 10 HIT

KYLE EDMUND will face one erratically behaved player at the French Open today with a ringing endorsement coming his way from one of the most turbulent personalities of all. As he steps out against Italian Fabio Fognini for a place in the fourth round, the 23-yearold Yorkshireman is being tipped by John McEnroe for a place among the game’s elite. Commentating for Eurosport, McEnroe said of Edmund (right): ‘He’s got a great shot to get into the top 10 in the next year, maximum, maybe less.’ If the British No 1, in the expected absence of Andy Murray, is to achieve that, then today’s match, scheduled to start at 10am, is the kind of 50-50 duel he has to win, against a player ranked one place below him at world No 18. Fognini poses two specific challenges. He plays an expansive and unpredictable game, which twice on clay has been too good even for Rafael Nadal. He can also cause distractions with his notoriously unstable temperament. Four years ago, Fognini was hit by the biggest fine in Wimbledon history — £20,000 — when he damaged the court with his racket smashes and used a series of obscene gestures. Currently he is under the threat of suspension from Grand Slams after using ‘extremely derogatory and misogynistic language’ to a female umpire at last year’s US Open, where he was slung out of the men’s doubles. The concern for Edmund is that Fognini is in a rich vein of form and has made the third round for the loss of no sets and just 14 games in all. Although not the type to get carried away, Edmund was pleased to hear that he had caught McEnroe’s eye. ‘Top 10 in waiting, OK, but I have to do it. It doesn’t just come. You have to earn it, you can’t just suddenly pop up there,’ he said. TV: LIVE on ITV4 from 10am and Eurosport 1 from 9.30am.