Nick Kyrgios suggests that he has the highest ‘Tennis IQ’ in history
Nick Kyrgios has listed two qualities of his own when trying to build the ‘perfect tennis player’, implying that he has a higher IQ than the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Kyrgios has been out of action for nearly two years, after struggling with knee, foot and wrist injuries.
During that time, the 29-year-old has been doing more media appearances, and a clip from his appearance on the ‘Lets Trot Show’ podcast about building the ultimate tennis player has now resurfaced.
When doing so, Kyrgios chose Nadal for both his forehand and fitness (alongside Lleyton Hewitt), Djokovic for his backhand, Federer for the slice and compatriot Alex de Minaur for speed.
However, when it came to both the serve and IQ, Kyrgios backed himself, “Serve, I’ll take myself. I’ve got to throw myself in on one of these. I think I do have, pound for pound, the best serve. I’m not super tall for a tennis player these days… But pound for pound, I’ll take myself. I think variation, second serve, first serve, rhythm.”
During his last full season on the ATP Tour in 2022, Kyrgios hit an impressive 747 aces across 47 matches, putting him in fifth for the year.
It was also during that year that Kyrgios reached his first Grand Slam singles final, and the Australian has praised his own intelligence for doing it without a designated coach.
“IQ? This is a hard one,” said Kyrgios. “I haven’t had a coach in six years. I don’t know in the history of tennis if anyone made the finals of Wimbledon without a coach, so I take myself.”
Kyrgios will look to put these traits to use in the coming weeks, as he looks to make his return to the ATP Tour after a lengthy hiatus.
The former World No.13 is scheduled to play an upcoming exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, before making his official return at the Brisbane International ahead of the Australian Open.
Our 2018 champion 👑@Queensland @visitbrisbane #thisisqueensland #visitbrisbane @EvieNetworks pic.twitter.com/0DXrTNeUEX
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) November 15, 2024
Inside the baseline…
Nick Kyrgios has never been short of confidence, and this is just another sign of that. It is no secret that Kyrgios is hugely talented and his serve is a huge weapon that many players would love to have, but the IQ comment is what has caught many off-guard. Of course reaching a major final is a huge achievement, particularly without a coach, but to put yourself ahead of the likes of ‘the big three’ in that department is probably more delusion than confidence.
READ MORE: Nick Kyrgios set for return in confirmed Australian Open entry list
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