Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic "set a pretty low benchmark" for Australian tennis but are starting to head in the right direction, according to Pat Rafter.
The young duo, who sit at 18 and 19 in the world rankings, are never far away from the headlines, and often for the wrong reasons.
Tomic found himself in hot water again at Wimbledon on Wednesday after calling himself a 'retard' in his press conference. Disability campaigners have called for the 23-year-old to apologise.
Neither man will represent Australian at the Rio Olympics after both pulled out following criticism from chef de mission Kitty Chiller, who indicated they might not be selected because of past behaviour.
Rafter worked with both during his role as Australia's Davis Cup captain between 2011 and 2015 and is now Tennis Australia's performance director.
The two-time grand slam champion told Press Association Sport: " They set a pretty low benchmark. I would say they're heading in the right direction but there's only one way to go for those guys.
"Lleyton (Hewitt) is there now (as Davis Cup captain), he's got to run that part of it. He's invested in that pretty heavily and it will be interesting to see how that unfolds.
"But he's trying very hard and, at this stage, from what I've seen, it's started to have an influence."
Rafter has had his clashes with Tomic in particular, suspending him from Davis Cup. The same fate befell him last summer after he used a post-match press conference at Wimbledon to lay into Rafter and other Tennis Australia officials.
Asked how relations were with the governing body now, Rafter said: "Certain sections pretty good, other sections not so good."
Chiller was criticised for implying Kyrgios and Tomic were as bad as each other and Tennis Australia leapt to the defence of the latter, whose on-court behaviour has improved since his infamous sledge of Stan Wawrinka last summer.
He is still prone to outbursts and arguments with umpires but he has had consistently good results and has climbed from 30th in the rankings in January to a career-high of 18.
"They're Australian, around the same age, around the same ranking, so I guess it's a natural thing to lump them in together," said Rafter, who will be playing Champions Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall later this year, helping celebrate the event's 20th anniversary.
"Is it fair? No it's not really fair but it's the way it is. It always comes up in conversation. I know the difference between them and it's a very clear difference. And even Thanasi (Kokkinakis) will get roped into it and he's very, very different."
Kyrgios burst into public consciousness by stunning Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon two years ago.
The Australian, who could play Andy Murray in round four, has been talked up as one of the outsiders who could challenge for the title.
Rafter has no doubt Kyrgios' explosive game makes him a threat to anyone but is not yet sure whether he can maintain the necessary level for seven matches.
"Nick always surprises me," said Rafter, a two-time Wimbledon finalist.
"He certainly has a chance. He's a talent. I'm not totally up to date with how he trains but I watched his first-round match against (Radek) Stepanek and he's impressive. He played well. Stepanek's a tough player.
"In a one-on-one battle, he can beat anyone, but it's seven matches over two weeks and that bit I don't know yet."
:: Pat Rafter will be playing Champions Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall from November 30 to December 4, 2016. Tickets are available from £18.50 at www.championstennis.co.uk/tickets
Source: PA
