Nick Kyrgios has played each member of the ‘big three’ over the course of his career.
Kyrgios burst onto the scene at Wimbledon in 2014, when he defeated Rafael Nadal in his maiden clash with the legend.
He went on to beat the Spaniard twice more in the years that followed, emerging victorious in their meetings at the 2017 Cincinnati Open and the 2019 Mexican Open.
The Australian is one of the few players in history with a winning record against Novak Djokovic, leading the Serb 2-1 in their head-to-head.
Against Roger Federer, Kyrgios has not had much joy, with the exception of their very first bout on the tour.
Nick Kyrgios’ first match with Roger Federer in 2015
The Swiss legend first ran into Kyrgios in his opening match at the 2015 Madrid Open after recording an up-and-down beginning to the clay swing.
Kyrgios came quickly out the gates in the match, securing an early break to put pressure on Federer early on.
Serena Williams picked Roger Federer as the G.O.A.T.
Federer broke back late on in the opener to force a tiebreak, before winning the shootout comfortably to draw first blood.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion then broke early on in the second and looked to be closing in on a straight-sets victory.
A defiant Kyrgios refused to give in, however, and forced a decider in the match after winning the second set via another tiebreak.
The two stars held their serves well throughout the third set, ultimately resulting in the third tiebreak of the match.
Kyrgios squandered the chance to win it at 6-5, before Federer earned a match point of his own at 7-6, but didn’t capitalise either.
They kept trading blows until, finally, Kyrgios sealed the victory by beating Federer in the tiebreak 14-12, winning 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 in what was a blockbuster encounter.
However, Federer went on to triumph in each of their next six meetings, three of which came at the Laver Cup.
| Year | Event | Round | Winner |
| 2019 | Laver Cup | Round Robin | Federer |
| 2018 | Laver Cup | Round Robin | Federer |
| 2018 | US Open | Round of 32 | Federer |
| 2018 | Stuttgart Open | Semifinals | Federer |
| 2017 | Laver Cup | Round Robin | Federer |
| 2017 | Miami Open | Semifinals | Federer |
| 2015 | Madrid Open | Round of 32 | Kyrgios |
Roger Federer’s ‘hope’ for Nick Kyrgios after playing him in 2015
After losing to him at the Madrid Open, Federer was asked about Kyrgios’ potential in his post-match press conference.
He said of their match: “I enjoyed it. I always like playing young guys coming up. Plus, I practiced quite a bit with him before the French Open last year, before he sort of made his big breakthrough.
“He’s got a wonderful serve, good potential, so I hope he keeps working hard and that he can compete for the best spots in tennis.”
Federer continued: “He likes the big stage. He’s got nothing to lose, no fear, and he’s got a great game.
“He can rely on his serve so much. It keeps him in the match regardless of how he plays from the baseline.
“All he needs to do is string a few good shots, a few good points together when it really matters. It was one of those matches. But no doubt about it, it was impressive.”
Since then, Kyrgios managed to make a Wimbledon final, but has never truly reached his full potential in professional tennis.
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