“Federer made you feel like s**t,” Nick Kyrgios talks of his rivalry with the Big-3, calls Novak Djokovic the ‘GOAT’

Nick Kyrgios managed to beat Roger Federer only once in their seven meetings.

“Federer made you feel like s**t,” Nick Kyrgios talks of his rivalry with the Big-3, calls Novak Djokovic the ‘GOAT’

Nick Kyrgios with Roger Federer (on the left) and Novak Djokovic (On the right) (Images via Tennis Letter X)

Nick Kyrgios who is known for his outspoken nature has talked about his rivalry with the Big 3 of tennis. While Kyrgios admitted that Roger Federer was the hardest to play, the Australian called Novak Djokovic the greatest of all time. For Rafael Nadal, Kyrgios said that he was able to match the Spaniard’s level most of the time although he has enjoyed an upper hand here and there. 

While talking about his rivalry with Federer, Kyrgios went on to say that the Swiss made him feel like s**t every time he played against him. The Australian said that Federer enjoyed support from fans irrespective of where he played. Notably, Kyrgios faced Roger Federer seven times in his career and managed a solitary win which came in their first-ever encounter in Madrid, in 2015.

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For Djokovic, the Australian said that the Serbian is the greatest of all time but also accepted that Federer was the toughest opponent for him. “I matched up really well against Nadal. I had the most success against him, but he’s still beaten me a lot of times. Federer could make you feel really sh*t,” said Kyrgios on Mike Tyson’s Hotboxin’ podcast.

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“No matter where you played him in the world, he was the fan favorite. 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 & didn’t give you much room to breathe.”

Also Read: Jannik Sinner admits his six consecutive defeats to Daniil Medvedev forced him to change his strategy at the China Open finals that saw him clinch the title

Nick Kyrgios feels he is more relatable for fans than the Big 3

Famously known as the bad guy of tennis, Nick Kyrgios claimed that he is more relatable to fans as compared to the Big 3. The Australian said that as he has normal issues and is reachable and hence people relate to him more.

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Nick Kyrgios (Image via Getty)

“I’m just relatable. Like, I am a normal guy who makes normal issues. You know, I’ve had moments where I was drinking too much. I feel like I have very relatable problems,” he said. “The following, I feel that now. Like, wherever I go, I know I’m playing for a lot of people, which is cool. Because, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, are not reachable for a lot of people. Like these guys are not normal,” Kyrgios added.

The Australian then also talked about his fanbase and how the social media following drives him to do better. Kyrgios said that he has now realized that a lot of youngsters look up to him and it drives him to do better. The Australian then joked about his haters saying they secretly love him.

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