Australia tennis legend Todd Woodbridge has urged Nick Kyrgios to "let his racquet do the talking" and shield himself from the hype as he copes with the pressure of seasoned players keen to put the teenager back in his box.

He said Kyrgios' biggest Australian Open test is handling the transition from surprise packet to marked man and the extra off-court commitments that follow.

Kyrgios begins his campaign against world No. 62 Federico Delbonis in the second game on Margaret Court Arena after 7pm.

Ever since upsetting Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon the buzz around the 19-year-old has spiralled, and Woodbridge said it's a distraction Kyrgios has to deal with.

"His biggest test is to concentrate on the tennis, let the racquet do the talking and not get caught up in the peripheral things that take a lot of time and energy," Woodbridge said.

"It's the sponsorship commitments, interviews, his time as he's come to know it is no longer his. You have to manage that and not get stressed by it, that's what the top guys do well.

"They're under the pump every day but are used to that routine. Nick has gone from zero to 100 with that literally after one result."

Kyrgios leapt from 183 to 50 in the rankings in his first season on tour last year and Woodbridge insists he's capable of pushing for the top 20 provided he stays fit.

To do so, he needs to negotiate top-line players who have had a year to analyse his game in search of weaknesses.

"The thing that's hardest for him is every bloke that goes against him knows he's had a lot of exposure, and they feel like they've got nothing to lose," Woodbridge said.

"The second year is always the hardest, but what I saw from him the other night was improvement in a lot of areas, especially composure. It's a little different this year because players have had time to sort out his strengths and weaknesses.

"He's in amongst the group now, not just a fresh guy where everyone's wondering 'What does this guy do?' "

Woodbridge said Kyrgios had been given a "fantastic" Australian Open draw, beginning with Delbonis.

Despite only playing one match in almost four months, Kyrgios will start favourite against the little-known Argentine. If he wins he would likely meet world No. 25 Ivo Karlovic in the second round, followed by a third-round clash with Tommy Robredo before a potential fourth-round blockbuster with Roger Federer.

"They [Karlovic and Robredo] are seeds he would look at and think 'That's not bad'," Woodbridge said.

"It's none of the big guns, and guys I think he can go well against. Making the fourth round would be an impressive result."

Kyrgios won't be 100 per cent due to a back injury but Woodbridge dismissed concerns over his fitness, despite a series of niggles that have plagued him early in his career.

He withdrew from the Hopman Cup and was troubled by his back late in his three-set loss to Jerzy Janowicz.

"I think he's well prepared, anything they've done has been precautionary and they've played on the safe side," Woodbridge said.

"It's just that little bit of match toughness he's lacking, but I thought the one match he had showed he's ready. He's more physically robust than last year and more professional, I don't think it's going to be as big an issue."

Woodbridge said the fact he doesn't have many points to defend after playing a number of Challenger tournaments last year gives Kyrgios a chance to leap up the rankings.

"The sky's the limit, he's got Wimbledon to defend but not much else," he said.

"If he was to finish the year at 30 or better that would be an excellent result, and anything higher than 20 would be fantastic.

"I think it's realistic if he can keep fit and healthy."