Not many personalities in tennis have gained notoriety for being as brash as Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios. A controversial personality, Kyrgios’ straightforward and blunt way of expression, leads to him dividing opinions most of the times. The question is – ‘Does Kyrgios have genuine friends and well-wishers in the tennis community?’
Kyrgios, who is perceived as the modern-day ‘Bad Boy of Tennis ‘has done it all. From using obscene language to unsportsmanlike conduct and feuding with fans and former greats of the sport, Kyrgios has dipped his toes in all kinds of problems. Deliberately disrespecting Alexander Zverev in 2015 for showing lack of effort, losing his temper against Casper Ruud at the 2019 Italian Open and breaking his racket furiously in a 2022 match against Jannik Sinner are prime examples.
However, Kyrgios has opened up about his inner demons in a recent episode of the Jay Shetty Podcast. Kyrgios has vehemently tried to deny his media-tainted image of an angry and brute sportsman on occasions. He has even shown public and private support for the people he likes. Here are five tennis players Kyrgios is extremely fond of:
Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka build strong off-court partnership
Good Trouble With Nick Kyrgios is the name of the podcast that the Australian star is starting soon, in partnership with Naomi Osaka’s media company Hana Kuma. While the podcast will feature a list of esteemed guests like Jay Shetty, Mike Tyson, Frances Tiafoe, etc, it is the Osaka-Kyrgios collaboration that is a piece of uplifting news. Although the female tennis star hasn’t commented on their bond, Kyrgios in particular has expressed his gratitude towards her and her media company.
“Hana Kuma has been a great partner and really brought my vision to life. We’ve got an all-star lineup of guests for Season 1, and I can’t wait for everyone to check it out”, said Kyrgios to Deadline.
Osaka’s agent Stuart Duguid has in return lauded the 28-year-old Australian for his confidence and ambition.
Nick Kyrgios stood up for French entertainer Gael Monfils
Gael Monfils, one of the five best friends Kyrgios claimed to have in a video for Tennis TV in 2021, was fiercely defended by his Australian friend against a scathing tweet by an X user named Myles David recently. After a failed trick shot by Monfils, which he has tried quite often in his career, David made an insensitive remark by calling it a summary of his whole career.
Kyrgios reminded him about Monfils’ career achievements and that he has made tens of millions from his tennis career. Kyrgios has always been a fan of Monfils’ trick shots, and a failure here and there doesn’t really sum up his career.
Kyrgios makes fierce rival Djokovic his friend
Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic used to hate each other earlier, without even necessarily mincing words. Remarkably, there was a time when Kyrgios took a dig at Djokovic’s views on getting vaccinated from Covid-19, his ‘cringeworthy celebration’, and much more.
Djokovic had brushed those feelings from the Australian aside. However, now, it seems as if Kyrgios has a new-found appreciation from the World No.1. Not only is he ‘all praises’ for him in every podcast, including the Jay Shetty one, but Kyrgios has also invited Djokovic to be a part of his new podcast series. Djokovic too never considered him a bad person but wished to understand him better.
Kyrgios has Kokkinakis as his oldest friend from the ATP Tour
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis have been very close friends for a long time. They even won the Australian Open men’s doubles title in 2022, their only Grand Slam title to date. Their support for each other runs so deep hat Kyrgios even found it unbearable to watch Kokkinakis almost lose to Wawrinka at the French Open last year. However, making a remarkable U-turn, Kokkinakis had won that match, which pleasantly surprised Kyrgios. Krygios considers Kokkinakis his brother and both the Australians feel the same way about each other.
Kyrgios shares special equation with Tiafoe
Soon to be a guest on Kyrgios’ podcast, Frances Tiafoe is one of five best friends of the Aussie. Tiafoe and Kyrgios often go back and forth on social media, displaying their healthy camaraderie. Kyrgios, who hasn’t been in the tennis circuit for a while now owing to his injuries, also shared a motivational post on Instagram a couple of years back. Tiafoe, his close friend, left a cheeky comment to which Kyrgios even responded with sweetness, “Miss you, my bro”.
They met each other at the Washington 2022 quarterfinals. It was an epic showdown with both players enjoying playing against each other to the fullest.
Kyrgios missed all four Grand Slams last year owing to his injury and is unlikely to make a comeback at this year’s Australian Open either. However, he is giving his podcast some due importance and he is set to become a broadcaster for Eurosport and ESPN in the 2024 edition.
