A message for those who despise Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, from Nick Kyrgios
As he approaches a record-tying Wimbledon win, Nick Kyrgios has sent a warning to those who criticize Novak Djokovic.
After weathering a tense relationship before Kyrgios fell to Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, the two have become friends in recent years.
Since their two personalities have changed, Kyrgios has become one of Djokovic’s most ardent followers, and following his terrible interaction with spectators on Centre Court on Monday night, he has sprung to his defense once more.
During his straight-set victory over Holger Rune on Monday night, Djokovic claimed some fans had mistreated him by yelling the young Dane’s last name.
The seven-time champion remarked, “Well, to all the fans that had respect and stayed here tonight, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate it,” during a contentious on-court interview.
“And have a great night to everyone who has chosen to show disrespect to the player—in this case, myself. Good night, all is ok. Excellent evening.
He continued, saying, “I react when I sense a crowd is crossing the boundary.” “I don’t regret what I said or did on the court.”
Some people criticized Djokovic for how he handled the supporters, particularly after it seemed that his accusations that they were jeering him were unfounded.
However, Kyrgios has now implied that Djokovic would benefit from the hostility directed at him, implying that Wimbledon supporters might encourage Djokovic to succeed if they continue to support his rivals.
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Kyrgios told the BBC that Novak searches for greater motivation in such kinds of activities.
“My advice to anyone going up against Novak in the future in the crowd is to be as quiet as possible if you don’t want Novak to win. He will pick out that one person in the crowd to find that extra motivation.”
He is an athlete of a distinct caliber. I believe we discovered long ago that he was not human, and we are still in the process of discovering who he is.
“It wasn’t jeers (directed at Rune), but I believe that audiences everywhere should realize that Novak doesn’t require additional motivation to perform better.
“I’ve seen it time and time again—the audience tries to poke the bear, and that’s not what you want to do against Novak. He’s a motivated player, one of the greatest in the world.
He adores it. I truly battle with trying not to poke the bear when I play him. It obviously lost me the Wimbledon championship.
“He already has all the motivation he needs to go out there and convince someone that he is the greatest of all time.
“He is surrounded by the greatest crew for his recuperation. Without a question, he is among the most accomplished players to have ever played the game.
He is currently enjoying the benefits. After more than 20 years in the game, he remains among the finest in the world. I’ll wait for it if one of the young boys can overthrow him.
After Alex de Minaur had to withdraw due to injury, Djokovic had an easy path to the semi-finals, and Kyrgios hinted that this would greatly increase his chances of winning the Wimbledon championship.
“Given his age of 37 and his knee, two days off is probably the best thing that could have happened to Novak.” You shouldn’t have any doubts about this man, he continued.
“He is playing and moving better than I have ever seen him after that match against Holger Rune.” I’ll wait for it if one of the young boys can overthrow him.
Kyrgios has been working with Djokovic throughout Wimbledon this year, and he has made hints that he would try to play some doubles later in the year to have a foothold in the professional tennis scene.
