Nick Kyrgios has heaped praise on Roger Federer, referring to the Swiss legend as the “king of tennis”.
Former World No.1 Roger Federer is widely regarded as the Greatest of all time(G.O.A.T.) in tennis history for his on-court achievements. He is often credited with inspiring the young generation of players, including Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios.
Kyrgios recently shared his admiration for Federer referring to him as the “king of tennis” during a tour of Tennis Channel’s Hall of Champs. He described him as the player one would encounter in every virtual tennis game, unbeatable in a white vest on hard courts. Kyrgios emphasised that Federer is the driving for behind every tennis player’s decision to pick up a racket.
“Roger Federer, he’s the guy that you would play in every tennis virtual game at the end in the white vest that you could never beat on hard.He’s the reason why every single tennis player picks up a racket. So yeah, he’s the king.”
Despite being sidelined for the 2023 season due to knee and wrist injuries, Kyrgios had taken the role of Tennis Analyst for the Tennis Channel, offering his insights on players and matches at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Nick Kyrgios shares playing challenges against some tennis legends
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios expressed his views on facing Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer while commentating during the Serb’s first-round match at the 2024 Australian Open.
Despite Djokovic’s record Grand Slam victories, Kyrgios believes most players would prefer facing him over Federer or Nadal. According to Kyrgios, Nadal’s powerful left-handed style and physique present unique challenges, while Federer can make opponents feel unsettled by shrinking the court and taking away time.
“Rafa has that big game style and that physicality, big leftie, you know his patterns but you can’t do anything about it. And Roger Federer could make you feel so bad on the court, shrinking the court, taking time away from you, you never feel settled.”
-Nick Kyrgios in an interview
He mentioned that facing Djokovic involves long, grueling exchanges, and described him as a ping-pong machine that requires some strategy to defeat.
“At least with Djokovic you know you’re going to have those exchanges, those long grueling exchanges. You know you are going to get warm, know you’re going to get into it. Then there’s the problem of trying to work out how to beat him, he’s like a ping-pong machine.”
-Nick Kyrgios in an interview
