“I love his attitude, he’s an entertainer,” Challenger’s starrer Josh O’ Connor reveals being inspired by Nick Kyrgios and chanelling the Aussie bad boy into his character on screen

Patrick's character is inspired by Kyrgios, who is notorious for racket-smashing and going ballistic on courts.

“I love his attitude, he’s an entertainer,” Challenger’s starrer Josh O’ Connor reveals being inspired by Nick Kyrgios and chanelling the Aussie bad boy into his character on screen

Nick Kyrgios, Josh O' Connor (Images via Imago, X)

British actor Josh O’Connor is in the highly anticipated tennis-centric movie Challengers, which is scheduled to be released theatrically in the US on April 26. He is busy promoting the film, which also has Zendaya and Mike Faist as lead actors.

During the screening of the film in California, O’Connor told Tennis Channel that Nick Kyrgios‘ attitude helped a lot in shaping Patrick’s character. O’Connor called the 28-year-old Aussie a phenomenal player.

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Nick Kyrgios. But Kyrgios was my… I love Kyrgios. I love his attitude. He’s an entertainer. He’s a phenomenal tennis player. I was a fan of his playing tennis anyway, but for Patrick, he was a big inspiration.
Josh O’Connor told Tennis Channel

The film Challengers is about a former tennis star, Tashi Donaldson (played by Zendaya), and the story revolves around her and the two players, her husband Art Donaldson and Patrick. Patrick’s character is inspired by Kyrgios, who is notorious for racket-smashing and going ballistic on courts.

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Nick Kyrgios says he doesn’t think the Big 3 ever thought they would lose to an “unprofessional” player like him

The Big Three—Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer—have lost to Nick Kyrgios. Recently, the Australian talked about his win over Naomi Osaka on his ‘Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios’ podcast. 

Nick Kyrgios
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

Though he wasn’t the only one to beat the Big 3, he feels they probably wouldn’t believe that they lost to a player with an “unprofessional” attitude.

I don't think Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic ever thought they'd lose to me. I think they look back, and they're like, "How the hell did we manage to lose him?
Nick Kyrgios said

When it comes to the head-to-head record, Kyrgios has won two matches in three encounters against Djokovic. But the Aussie doesn’t enjoy the lead against Federer and Nadal, as the Spaniard has a 6-3 head-to-head against Kyrgios. On the other hand, the Swiss maestro defeated Kyrgios six times in their seven encounters.

Kyrgios last played at the 2023 Stuttgart Open. Because he suffered from multiple injuries, getting back on the tennis courts looks impossible for him. In January of this year, he hinted that his time in sports may be over, but recently he talked about his return to the court.

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