"Federer is not a player you see & say 'How entertaining', Djokovic either" - When Marcelo Rios preferred Nick Kyrgios' 'spectacle' over Big-3 duo
Roger Federer captivated millions of tennis fans around the globe at the peak of his prowess, almost becoming synonymous with grace and finesse on the tennis court. Yet, former World No. 1 Marcelo Rios did not think the Swiss was all that "entertaining" -- a word he thought fit Nick Kyrgios better.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN, Rios opined that while he liked the way Federer played with ease and intelligence on the court, he did not enjoy the rather gentlemanly way in which he went about his business. Instead, the Chilean preferred the "messiness" of Kyrgios or someone like Fabio Fognini, who kept fans on their toes about when they would be having a meltdown in front of the camera.
Rather interestingly, Marcelo Rios also did not find Novak Djokovic entertaining either.
"Federer for me is not a player that you see and you say ‘how entertaining’. I like the way he plays because he’s a guy with incredible ease, very intelligent on the court, very good. But he is not a Kyrgios, a Fognini that you see him and you are waiting for him to make a fuss, to leave a mess. That’s more entertaining. I don’t find Djokovic an entertaining guy on the court either,” Marcelo Rios said, as quoted by CLAY.
In another interview for the FShow channel, Rios shed light on his misgivings about how sanitized tennis had become, with players not even allowed to badmouth opponents at press conferences. For that reason, he enjoyed watching the kind of 'spectacle' the mercurial Kyrgios treated fans to, which he believed was revolutionary to the game.
“Tennis has always had restrictions. If you swear, you get a fine; if you throw your racket, another fine. In press conferences you couldn’t talk bad things about anyone. Wimbledon makes you dress in white making you look like I don’t know what. Tennis is boring, it’s like watching cricket. Then a guy like Kyrgios comes out and revolutionizes everything. He packs stadiums, it’s a spectacle," he added.
Rios, for those unaware, has the honor of being the only man in the Open Era to be ranked World No. 1 without winning a Grand Slam title. The closest he got was reaching the final of the 1998 Australian Open, which he lost to Petr Korda.
By contrast, Federer and Djokovic are both titans of the Grand Slam world, with the former winning 20 Majors and the latter leading the charts with 24 to his name. Kyrgios, on the other hand, is better known for his on-court controversies than the number of Grand Slam titles he has won, which remains at zero for the moment (one final at Wimbledon in 2023).
"I wouldn't coach anyone, although if Roger Federer calls me I couldn't say no" - Marcelo Rios
Following his retirement from tennis in 2004, Marcelo Rios enjoyed a brief coaching stint with Shang Juncheng, but the partnership ended quickly after disagreements between the parties.
Speaking in another interview with CLAY later on, Rios reflected on the partnership, saying that he was done with coaching on the ATP Tour. However, the Chilean joked that he wouldn't say no if Roger Federer asked him to, even adding a quip about looking after the Swiss' kids.
“No. I wouldn’t coach anyone else, although if Federer calls me I couldn’t say no. I would even look after his babies," Rios said.
Read more: 5 controversial things Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have said about each other over the years