"If not me, no one" - Nick Kyrgios on who can stop Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon
Nick Kyrgios has expressed his belief that he is the only player capable of posing a challenge to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon 2023. The pair previously faced off in the 2022 Wimbledon final, which saw the Serb emerge victorius to claim his seventh title at the grass-court Major.
Kyrgios made his return to the tour at the Boss Open in Stuttgart after a seven-month long injury layoff. The Australian was unable to start his comeback off with a win as he lost his tournament opener to Yibing Wu in straight sets.
While at the tournament, Kyrgios was asked how many Grand Slam titles he expected Novak Djokovic to end his career with. The question came on the heels of the Serb claiming his record 23rd Major title at the recently concluded French Open.
The 28-year-old joked about his desire to see the World No. 1 win 30 Grand Slam titles, as it would make his own loss to him in last year's Wimbledon final look better.
"I hope he gets thirty, it'll make me look better because I lost to him at Wimbledon. But yeah, it's an amazing achievement. I know how hard he works and how much it means to him," Kyrgios said in an interview with Sky Sport.
The World No. 25 speculated that Djokovic would have held 25-26 Grand Slam titles already, if not for missed opportunities caused by travel restrictions. He highlighted the World No. 1's relentless hunger for success and expressed his hope to see him eventually claim 28-30 Major titles.
"Obviously missing out on some Grand Slams as well, not being able to get in the country some times and obviously that time in Australia so I know he probably would've been on like 25-26 so I know he's hungry. People think he'll slow down, I think it'll only make him more motivated to get more so I hope he gets to 28-30," he added.
When asked who can stop Novak Djokovic from claiming his eighth Wimbledon title at SW19 this year, Kyrgios claimed that no one but him posed a threat to the Serb.
"No one, if it's not me, no one," he said.
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How the Wimbledon 2022 final between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios played out
The 2022 Wimbledon final saw Novak Djokovic chasing his 21st Grand Slam title in his first Major final of the year. Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios was on the hunt for his maiden Grand Slam title when he took on the three-time defending champion.
Kyrgios started the match off strong, claiming the first set 6-4. The Australian was clinical on his serve, firing off 30 aces over the course of the match. However, Djokovic put his defensive skills on display, countering the 28-year-old's powerful groundstrokes efficiently to secure the second and third set.
The fourth set saw the pair engage in an evenly-matched battle until the Serb dominated the tiebreak to record a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) victory and win his fourth consecutive title at SW19.