"No one would think Roger Federer has broken a racquet because it doesn't get flushed around every single news outlet" - Nick Kyrgios
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios recently reacted to an old clip of Roger Federer smashing his racquet in frustration. The incident took place after Federer lost a point against Novak Djokovic back in 2009.
Federer is widely considered a role model for players and fans, and he has won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award a record 13 times. The Swiss icon is also considered one of the greatest players of all time, having won 20 Grand Slams, including a record eight Wimbledon titles.
An old clip of a match between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open recently came up. The clip showed the Swiss smashing his racquet on the court in anger after losing a point.
Djokovic went on to beat Federer with the scoreboard reading 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. In the post-match interview at the Masters Series event, Federer said:
"I didn't lose it just because I smashed a racquet, it doesn't mean I lost it! It didn't feel great, it was just a natural thing I did."
In recent years, World No. 35 Nick Kyrgios has been labeled the 'bad boy' of the tennis circuit because of his involvement in an array of on-court outbursts, including breaking racquets. The 28-year-old couldn't help but share the aforementioned clip on his Instagram, saying not many would've thought that Federer ever broke a racquet.
According to Kyrgios, this is because such headlines are not highlighted by every news outlet.
"No one would think Federer has broken a racket, coz it doesn't get flushed around every single news outlet hahaha - even the goats baby," Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.
"We started respecting the rivalry we used to have and we almost miss it" - Roger Federer discusses his bond with Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer played the last match of his career alongside 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal at the O2 Arena, during the Laver Cup in 2022. The two formed a strong bond over the years, having played 40 encounters against each other.
Talking to fans at a Uniqlo event in New York last month, the Swiss reflected upon his relationship with Nadal and admitted to missing the old days.
"We also started respecting the rivalry we used to have and we almost miss it, playing each other every other weekend. Back in the day we couldn’t stand each other probably for that but he is a great man and I wish he can come back one more time," he said.
At the same event, the 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed that he had thoughts of retirement during moments of dejection across his stellar career.
"It's a great sport. You get great camaraderie. We see them smiling a lot. Yes, I also thought about hanging up the racquet at certain moments in my career because losing is really frustrating," he said.