Australian young guns Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic may need to employ a coach if they are to take the next step into the world’s top 10.

That’s the view of one of Kyrgios’ former coaches, and Australian Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle.

Kyrgios, 20, and 23-year-old Tomic are the most promising of Australia’s male tennis stars, but at the moment look a level short of consistently being involved at the pointy end of grand slams.

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At the Australian Open, Kyrgios suffered a third-round exit at the hands of sixth seed Tomas Berdych, while Tomic went one better before being ousted by world No.2 Andy Murray.

Kyrgios doesn’t travel with a full-time coach and when asked if he planned to change that situation after his loss to Berdych, the Canberran seemed in no rush.

“I haven’t really thought too much about it, I’m not really looking. I am, but I’m not,” Kyrgios said.

“I think I’m pretty content at the moment.”

But Kyrgios looked far from content during the Berdych defeat, berating members of his players’ box and the chair umpire.

Although he has former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt working in an advisory capacity, the precise nature of the relationship is cloudy.

Eagle believes there is definitely merit in looking for a new mentor.

“It might be as simple as just having a coach there and picking up one thing in the match where you can improve, and that means you can win a tournament,” Eagle told The New Daily.

“It’s such a fine line once you get into the top 20 to find improvement.

“It’s different when you’re 100 in the world and you’re on the up – you’ve got a lot of room for improvement.

“But once you get to that level (top 20), it’s so incremental.

“I think now, if he (Kyrgios) wants to break into the top 20, it’s that one or two per cent that I’m talking about where having a coach, not necessarily all the time but at certain times throughout the year, that’s where he might find some good gains.”

Even the great Roger Federer has aknowledged the importance of good coaching.

After winning three grand slams in 2004 without a coach, the Swiss great – perhaps sensing the arrival of Andy Roddick and Marat Safin as threats – appointed Tony Roche on a part-time basis.

Then, at age 32, he employed the services of his boyhood idol Stefan Edberg to help him try and counter the brilliance of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic and Murray have also employed their own ‘super coach’, engaging Boris Becker and Ivan Lendl respectively.

Eagle said he and Kyrgios spent a week in Zurich with Federer in 2014 and could see the influence Edberg had on his game.

“I was still amazed by how driven he was, at the ripe old age of 33,” Eagle said.

“Every time they stepped on court (they were focused) on how Roger could use his game and be relevant and find a way to beat the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal.

“That’s all they were focused on. Nick got to see that.

“But he’s got to feel comfortable with who that person is.

“I think Lleyton can help impact these younger guys and if it’s not him (to coach) he can potentially point them in the right direction.”

Eagle feels Tomic could also benefit from the addition of a new voice, but one that could fit into the relationship he already has in place with his father John.

“He’s got such a strong bond with his father and he’s still very much in the picture in terms of their communication and the involvement that they have,” Eagle said.

“I think Bernard needs to include someone in his team that he trusts and they can all work together as a team. Just to get that little bit more out of Bernard.

“Because he’s certainly got the talent and the ability and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be higher in the rankings and doing better at grand slam tennis.”