"We had a rocky relationship at the start, now we send memes"- Nick Kyrgios on how his bond with Novak Djokovic changed over time
Nick Kyrgios recently shared insights on his bond with Novak Djokovic and highlighted how it has evolved in the past few years.
Kyrgios was forced to miss out on all the action last year due to a knee injury. He has been away from the tour since and is currently doing a commentary gig at the 2024 Australian Open.
Known to be quite vocal about his opinion, the Australian recently shed light on his relationship with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios spoke about how their friendship has evolved into a close bond over the years and made a surprise revelation, that they even send memes to each other regularly.
"We had a rocky relationship at the start and a couple of things changed and now we literally speak nearly everyday. We just talk about anything, we send memes to each other," Nick Kyrgios said in a candid conversation with a fellow commentator at the Australian Open.
Kyrgios was forced to undergo knee surgery last year due to a tear in his lateral meniscus. He only featured once on the main tour at the 2023 Stuttgart Open and decided to take an extended break to prioritize his recovery.
While his partner in the commentary room, Laura Robson, was stunned to hear that Djokovic and Kyrgios are meme buddies, the Australian shared what their interactions are usually about.
"Really, Djokovic does memes? That surprises me," Fellow commentator and former player Laura Robson said.
"Yeah, he hit an unbelievable volley the other day and I was like where do you even get these hands from. You didn't have it against me at Wimbledon, and he was like I got it from you," Nick Kyrgios replied.
Kyrgios was one of the best players on tour in 2022. He chalked up 37 wins from 47 matches and enjoyed a title-winning run at the Citi Open in Washington. The 28-year-old also reached the final at Wimbledon for the first time in his career and put up a valiant effort against Novak Djokovic.
Despite coming out all guns blazing and capturing the opening set in the summit clash, the Australian eventually came up shy against Djokovic in four sets.
Nick Kyrgios gets a shoutout from Novak Djokovic for his commentary debut at the 2024 Australian Open
Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic continued the healthy banter and camaraderie between them at the 2024 Australian Open.
Djokovic recently waved the green flag as Kyrgios made his debut as a commentator at the Australian Open. Working with the Eurosport team, the Australian analyzed Djokovic's first-round match against 18-year-old qualifier Dino Prizmic.
The Serb was made to work hard in his opening-round encounter, but eventually solved the riddle in four sets. He was aware of the fact that Kyrgios called his match at the Australian Open and praised him for his new role in his post-match interview.
"NK rising, baby. That’s nice. It is great to have him around. Obviously he is one of the most popular tennis player, both men and women tour. No doubt in the last 5-10 years," Djokovic said.
Kyrgios acknowledged the 24-time Major champion's comments and responded to the high praise.
"Hahaha let’s go," Kyrgios wrote on social media.