Nick Kyrgios was once viewed as the shining light of Australian tennis, but has sadly been left behind by a handful of compatriots after a few years of struggles.
It seems like only yesterday that the 29-year-old was starring in the 2022 Wimbledon final, and yet now he sits down in the 600s of the world rankings, dwarfed by Alex de Minaur in seventh, and even Alexei Popyrin in 54th.
Naturally, that drop-off is completely owed to his misfortune with injuries, but there have always been questions around his ability to harness his undeniable talent over the years.
Speaking after he lost that aforementioned final, in what was undoubtedly the biggest match of his career, Rod Laver spoke about the mental hurdles that Nick Kyrgios failed to overcome.
How Rod Laver reacted after Nick Kyrgios lost the 2022 Wimbledon final
However, despite the sadness he felt whilst speaking about his fellow Aussie’s failure at the final hurdle, the legendary tennis superstar did suggest that such a crushing defeat could be a catalyst.
Laver told The Telegraph: “He’s probably one of the biggest servers in the game. He’s accurate, he can play under pressure.
“I was thrilled that he reached the final, but he didn’t think he could win Wimbledon.
“In my mind, I said, ‘Hey, put in your best performance. You may surprise yourself’. A month or two later, I said: ‘You can win some of these matches. Why don’t you apply yourself, man?’
“It hit home for him, I think. He realised, ’s—-, I am good enough, I can do this’. That was the greatest thing that happened to him.”
What he then said is particularly sad given how injuries have curtailed his career as Laver added: “But he knows that he can play and compete now. Don’t walk on the court thinking: ‘If I get three games, that’s enough’.
“Now he’s thinking: ‘Next year? Wimbledon? You’re going to see a different player.’”
This came many years after Laver sent a warning to Kyrgios after he beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014, catapulting him onto the scene as an unknown teenager.
Nick Kyrgios claims he could have won the Wimbledon title
Reflecting upon that match, which saw his one-set lead evaporate before his very eyes, Kyrgios has admitted that he could and maybe should have won the title that day.
Speaking with The Guardian earlier this year, he suggested as much, noting: “Definitely. It was only a couple of points here and there where, if I’d acted a bit differently, I would have had a Wimbledon title.
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“But there’s no shame in losing to the greatest of all time. Do I think about it often? Yes. Do I think about what I could have changed? Yes. Could I have prepared better? No. I prepared amazingly.”
Hopefully, he can recapture his fitness in 2026 and potentially get another chance to avenge that defeat.
