Tennis icons Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios have enjoyed plenty of entertaining battles on the court over the years.
It is the former who boasts the much better record when it comes to head-to-head, having won six of their seven meetings.
Both players do, however, have a common theme in their recent careers, with both massively disrupted by injuries.
Murray’s issues have forced him to withdraw from the Wimbledon singles tournament, much to the disappointment of tennis fans.
Kyrgios meanwhile is also absent from the Grand Slam, having last played a competitive match in June 2023.
Nick Kyrgios makes Andy Murray locker room claim
The Scot has been hampered by hip and back injuries in recent times, with the Australian suffering from knee and wrist problems.
The latter certainly has plenty of respect for the former, with Kyrgios revealing his thoughts and indeed the thoughts of many others when it comes to Murray.
“I mean he’s an amazing athlete,” Kyrgios said on Piers Morgan Uncensored. “I think one of the best who has ever stepped on court.
“Reputation wise, I don’t think one person says anything bad about Andy in the locker room. It’s like you know what you are going to get, amazing competitor.
“At this stage he has always been extremely supportive of me and my career and we’ve had a great friendship.
“It pains me to see him, these are not small injuries, they are injuries which can impact your life moving forward. This should be, in my opinion, his last Wimbledon.”
Nick Kyrgios can understand Andy Murray’s injury issues
Kyrgios can certainly empathise more than most with Murray’s constant injury problems on and off the court.
Fortunately, however, the Australian ace has revealed he is ‘very close’ to being back playing again as he continues working on his recovery.
But unlike Murray, Kyrgios has yet to taste success at Wimbledon, coming closest to glory when he finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2022.
The Scot meanwhile has won two of his three Grand Slam titles on the iconic grass courts in London, with the other arriving at the US Open.
Murray still has hopes of playing doubles at Wimbledon, while he also plans to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics later this summer.
But given his latest decision, it remains to be seen how fit the veteran will be for the event on the clay of Roland Garros.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
