By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday October 5, 2023
Nick Kyrgios spent some quality time this summer with boxing icon Mike Tyson on the Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson podcast and opened up about several topics from tennis, to tattoos, to basketball, to his love for Australia and Pokemon. In the 45-minute episode, which was filmed and recorded prior to this year’s US Open, Kyrgios also talked about tennis’ Big 3 and handed bragging rights to Novak Djokovic.
“I think he [Djokovic] is the best ever,” said Kyrgios of the Serbian, prior to this year’s US Open. “[23] Grand Slams (Djokovic now has 24) and I think he’s got a couple more in him as well, it’s crazy. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves enough. He’s almost been on tour for like 20 years as well, like the longevity.”
Kyrgios said that the 36-year-old is the best, but added that 20-time Slam champion Roger Federer was the most challenging to face.
“Federer could make you feel really like s***. No matter where you played him in the world, he was the fan favourite,” the 2022 Wimbledon finalist said. “Played him in Europe, America, Australia. Everyone wanted Federer to win all the time.
“I think Novak is the greatest of all time, but for me, Federer was the hardest to play. Something about him. He was really aggressive and didn’t give you much room to breathe.”
Missing Tennis and Planning to Be Back
Kyrgios has struggled with injuries, mental health and motivation at times over the years. But he is clear and confident in the fact that he wants to return to the sport and take a crack at winning another Grand Slam.
After undergoing knee surgery earlier this year, Kyrgios is currently recovering from a wrist injury.
“Just trying to be able to get back as soon as possible because I do miss playing and especially being so close to winning last year [at Wimbledon], I know I'm right there,” he said.
For the Fans
Kyrgios isn’t just motivated for himself. He also wants to achieve success for his ever growing fan base.
He told Tyson that fans flock to him because he’s relatable. He’s a real person with faults and all.
“I feel like I had really relatable problems where I feel like now like wherever I go I know I'm playing for a lot of people, which is cool because Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, they're like they're not reachable for a lot of people. They look at them and they're like ‘these guys are not normal.’”
And Kyrgios, who has been without a coach for most of his career, says he has no plans to change that. Here’s how he explained it:
“When I beat the best in the world at such a young age I felt like every time I had a coach after that, they weren't really helping me, it was more like they were telling me things I didn't want to do or telling me things I didn't think really worked.”