Over the past couple of years, two views have often been associated with Nick Krygios. The first labels him as a player gifted with enough talent to win Grand Slams. The second is that he often wastes his talent, much to the dismay of those who see his potential. But the Australian has recently shown some positive signs which beg the question as to whether things are finally coming together.

Kyrgios produced great results in Tokyo last week where he defeated the world no. 8 Gael Monfils and world no. 14 David Goffin on the way to the championship of the ATP-500 event.

But, perhaps the bigger question is whether he now actually cares? Following the title, Kyrgios’ comments were in stark contrast to those earlier in the year, “Everything I did off the court was pretty crucial. I did a lot of recovery, did a lot strength work and I was sort of training through it as well,” he said.

At Wimbledon, Kyrgios’ commitment to the sport was called into question, “Like I've previously said, I don't love the sport. But, you know, I don't really know what else to do without it,” he said. “I obviously like playing the game. It's a massive part of my life but, yeah, I don't know whether..I don't really know.” The 21-year went on to state that he played video games to prepare for a match because he has more fun doing that than training.

Statements such as these have led some critics, such as John McEnroe as recent as the US Open, to suggest that he do something other than playing professional tennis.  Interestingly, Kyrgios is typically quick to attack those who criticize him. However, following the American’s comments, he simply addressed the criticism by tweeting, “John McEnroe takes a stab, I understand.”  Was this a sign that despite some of his outrageous utterances, he actually does respect the sport and those who paved the way for today’s generation of players?

Regardless, after winning his third title of the year at the Japan Open, Kyrgios is now on the cusp of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. He has lost just one match since his exit at Flushing Meadows. Whether harsh comments by the 7-time major champion added any incentive to Kyrgios is unclear but the youngster admitted that he is trying to grow, “I would have dealt with things a little differently in the past than I did, but I feel like I'm learning and maturing.”

But don’t expect this new found maturity to lead to filtered remarks by the native of Canberra. Currently competing in the Shanghai Masters, Kyrgios stated, “I was just a bit bored at times,” after his first-round win over Sam Querrey.

However, most of his critics are not calling for Kyrgios to change who he is, but instead to consistently play to his obvious abilities. And do so with perhaps less engagement with fans in the stands, opposing player boxes and more importantly, to put an end to those performances in which he does not feel the need to compete, which have arisen far too often in the past.

With the bulk of the ATP top-20 having reached or passed the age of 30, opportunities for Kyrgios will be overflowing in the coming years. He certainly has the tools to reach world no.1 and rattle off multiple major titles. The question will simply be as to how much, if any, will he long to achieve these goals? Perhaps he will be one of those rare players who can find a high-level of success despite not going all-in on the sport. But he could just as easily be one who will look back at the end of his career as a player who left a lot on the table, with regrets.

The jury is still out on his future, but 2016 has been the best season of his career. To go with his three titles, he has put together a 38-14 record and if recent play and perspective are any indications, he is headed in the right direction. Will 2017 be the year he finally silences his critics? He will certainly have an opportunity to begin to on home soil at the first major of the season in Melbourne.