Nick Kyrgios claims Novak Djokovic ‘has got a couple more majors in him’
Nick Kyrgios has labelled Novak Djokovic as ‘the best ever’, but claims that 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer was ‘the hardest to play’.
Kyrgios has been out of action for almost the entirety of 2023, having only played one ATP match all year due to a variety of different injuries.
And the Australian has been speaking on the ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson’ podcast about the ‘GOAT’ race, with Kyrgios backing 24-time major winner Djokovic.
“I think he [Djokovic] is the best ever,” said the 2022 Wimbledon finalist. “Like [24] Grand Slams 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.”
However, the 28-year-old has claimed that the now-retired Federer caused him the most problems on court, “Federer could make you feel really s***. No matter where you played him in the world, he was the fan favourite.
“Play 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.”
Despite there being no clear indication about when Kyrgios will return, he did reveal last month that he still had some ‘fire’ to recreate his 2022 campaign.
“To my millions of fans out there, I guess we just have to be patient,” Kyrgios said on Instagram. “Trust me, I still have some fire left in the tank, my body just needs time to recover and get back. Everything off-court is doing great. l am eyeing to come back and have a season like my last again.”
Inside the baseline…
Deciding who is the ‘GOAT’ is generally a subjective debate, however statistics do play a big part in the argument with Djokovic arguably ahead in that category. Kyrgios obviously knows what it’s like to play both Djokovic and Federer, and his suggestion that the latter is harder to play against is supported by the respective head-to-heads.
Nick Kyrgios vs Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer
Kyrgios’ claims about Federer being more difficult to play against are supported by his head-to-heads against both the Swiss and Djokovic, with the Aussie having the better of the Serb:
Kyrgios vs Djokovic: 2-1
Most recent meeting: Djokovic beat Kyrgios, 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6(3) (Wimbledon 2022 Final)
Kyrgios vs Federer: 1-6
Last meeting: Federer beat Kyrgios, 6(5)-7 7-5 10-7 (Laver Cup 2019)
READ NEXT – Novak Djokovic Schedule: Where is the 24-time Grand Slam champion playing next?
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