"The greats of Australian tennis, they haven't always been the nicest to me; they haven't always been supportive" - Nick Kyrgios on support from compatriots ahead of Wimbledon final
After a relatively straightforward win against Cristian Garin in three sets in the quarterfinals, Nick Kyrgios was all but set to take on Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. The Spaniard, however, withdrew from their third SW19 encounter after suffering a seven-millimeter abdominal muscle tear, giving Kyrgios a walkover to the final.
In his pre-final press conference, Nick Kyrgios was asked how he would feel about joining a long list of tennis greats from Down Under to have won the grasscourt Slam.
The 27-year-old hit back, stating that the greats of Australian tennis haven't been very nice or supportive of him, even during his run to the Wimbledon final this fortnight. He added that he believes himself to be the complete opposite when compatriots are playing, referencing how happy he was for Ashleigh Barty making the final at her home Major.
"Think, you know, as for the greats of Australian tennis, they haven't always been the nicest to me personally and they haven't always been supportive. And they haven't been supportive this two weeks. So it's hard for me to kind of read things that they say about me. For instance, when I saw Ash Barty in the final of Australia, I was nothing but happy and I would never say a bad word about an Australian making a final like, that's just me," Nick Kyrgios said.
Kyrgios revealed that the only tennis great from Australia who has been supportive of him is Lleyton Hewitt, who is also the Davis Cup captain for the country.
"And the kind of only great that's ever been supportive of me the whole time has been Lleyton Hewitt, he knows he's a Davis Cup captain and he kind of knows that I kind of do my own thing. I'm definitely the outcast of the Australian players. He knows to kind of keep his distance and just let me do me and he just sends me a message here or there, keep going," he added.
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Nick Kyrgios will take on Novak Djokovic for a chance to win his maiden Grand Slam singles title. The Serb defeated home favorite Cameron Norrie in four sets to reach his eighth Wimbledon final.
"I don't think anyone is able to fill those shoes, to be honest" - Nick Kyrgios on the Big-3
During his press conference, Nick Kyrgios was asked whether other players on tour (himself included) would be able to take over the role of the 'Big 3' when they're done playing the sport. The Australian stated that that's something no player would be able to fulfill despite the crop of unbelievable young talents coming up in the game.
"No, I don't think anyone is able to fill those shoes, to be honest with you. And we've got a great crop of young players coming up. Like Alcaraz is unbelievable. Sinner. He's able to just so many younger guys. Even Nakashima, the way he played this tournament, I don't think that myself, all those guys are able to fulfill those shoes," he stated.
He highlighted what made the 'Big 3' unique and added that if he ever won a Slam, he wouldn't want the pressure that'll mount on him to win another one.
"We'll never see a competitor like Rafa again. You'll never see someone hold a racquet like Roger so effortlessly, and you'll never probably see anyone who just wins and just plays the game just so good as a winner than Djokovic. So I don't think anyone will fill those shoes. So once they're gone, I'm not sure I feel like if I ever am able to lift a Grand Slam trophy, I think that's, like, please don't put the pressure on me to do another one