Nick Kyrgios has beaten some of the best players in tennis history throughout his career.
The Australian has earned wins over each of the ‘big three’, having defeated Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
He has a winning record of 2-1 against Djokovic and has triumphed over Nadal at tour-level events on three separate occasions.
Nick Kyrgios is good for tennis – Prove me wrong!
Kyrgios has only overcome Federer once, with the sole victory coming at the Madrid Open back in 2015.
While the former Wimbledon finalist has played the three greatest players of all time, the man he feared going toe-to-toe with the most was Andy Murray.
Nick Kyrgios’ high praise for Andy Murray back in 2019
Though he did manage to get one win over Murray, he ultimately trailed in the head-to-head 6-1.
In a 2019 article for the Guardian, Kyrgios said of the Briton: “When I played him the first couple of times, I just felt so young on the court. I almost was beaten before I went out there.
“When I played Roger [Federer], when I played Rafa [Nadal], I wasn’t as scared of those guys as I was of Andy.
“I knew that his game was a lot tougher for a guy like me to play, I knew he was going to make a lot of balls, so I felt so young when I played him the first couple of times. I didn’t really believe in my physicality.
“I knew that I couldn’t play long rallies with him and I knew I couldn’t last against him. I would have loved to have played him when he was in his prime, as I am now, it would maybe have been a much more competitive match.
“I always tell him, I look at [Novak] Djokovic, I look at how many grand slams he has won and the results he has had and I’m just thinking … I always tell him: ‘Dude, you’re so much better than Djokovic, you should have a way better career.’
“I give him sh— about it all the time. I’m always telling him that you’re a tough player to play against. But he definitely had my number on the court.”
How Nick Kyrgios described Andy Murray as a person
Murray and Kyrgios were close in the ATP locker room, and the latter had a glowing assessment of the three-time major champion’s character.
Kyrgios said: “He was an unbelievable player. He was one of the toughest people I ever played against.
“But I don’t think he gets enough credit for how he was off the court, just as a normal person. He was so humble, he was so down to earth, he just loved to have some fun, he loved to have a good time.
“I genuinely got excited to be at the courts and maybe see him during the day and have some lunch with him and just catch up. He made your day better.
Would you consider Andy Murray a top 10 player of all time?
“He took me under his wing when I was young, but then when he knew that I was kind of a free spirit, doing whatever I want to do, it just became more of a friendly-type relationship.
“When we were together, we never talked about tennis. There was just so much s— talking and banter, it was so good.”
Murray and Kyrgios played for a seventh and final time at the 2022 Stuttgart Open, where the Scot came out on top.
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