Nick Kyrgios has urged fans to appreciate just having Novak Djokovic around. Djokovic, 35, continues to enjoy perfect health and has indicated several times in recent months that he is not thinking of retiring yet. But Federer, considered tennis’s greatest icon, retired after the 2022 Laver Cup.
Without Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal remain the only active members of the Big Three Group. “I think it’s very important to have him around. Obviously, one of the greatest guys already left us last year, Roger [Federer], and I don’t think we really knew how special these guys are to our sport.
So whenever Novak is around in one of these events, I want to beat him, even if I can’t in a Grand Slam, but it’s very important to have him around because he’s one of the most important [players] for our sport,” Kyrgios said, according to sportskeeda.
On Friday, Kyrgios defeated Djokovic in an exhibition match at Rod Laver Arena. After the match, Kyrgios spoke highly of Djokovic and urged the Melbourne crowd to show respect for the Serb when he takes to the court for his Australian Open matches.
12 months ago, some Australians made it clear that they wanted Djokovic deported. Now Djokovic is back in Australia and is allowed to compete at the Australian Open. “I would just say that Novak is here and he hasn’t made any rules.
All he wants is to put on a show. He chases things that athletes rarely get to chase. He is one of the greatest athletes of all time, not just on the tennis court. He’s here to give a show in Melbourne.
Kokkinakis reflects on Kyrgios
During his press conference after his semi-final defeat against Bautista Agut, Nick Kyrgios’ best friend wanted to talk about his pal.
According to Thanasi Kokkinakis, Nick is not a saint but he does everything to make things work out. “I think some of the things that Nick Kyrgios does that people see as negative get pushed a little more than others because he maybe has a reputation for it.
Some of his acts make the headlines precisely because it is him, whereas if it were other players it would not be the case. Nick is not a saint, however. He did things that are probably justified. I think some of these things are unfair.
At the end of the day, he tries to do his best. There is a lot of pressure on him. He feels he is trying to do as well as possible. Sometimes he gets along with it. Everyone copes in different ways. He had a phenomenal year last year. He will continue to give the best of himself”.
