Nick Kyrgios is one of the most polarizing tennis players. The Wimbledon finalist and former World No. 13 isn’t afraid to speak his mind, even claiming that he has a “higher IQ” than the “Big 3.” However, when it comes to choosing the greatest player of all time, the Australian acknowledges that Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer dominate the conversation.
In 2023, Kyrgios told the Paul brothers on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast that Federer was like Michael Jordan in basketball but that Djokovic was better. “I think Federer and Jordan are very similar, but I think Novak, statistically and with all that stuff, is better,” he said.
A year later, during the Australian Open, he expanded on that take. “The greatest of all time is definitely Novak, but that doesn’t mean… If I said who would I want to go out there and watch, Roger Federer is the nicest to watch. He’s the most talented, makes the game look effortless, like the Michael Jordan of tennis,” he said while commentating for Eurosport.
“Without Roger, there wouldn’t have been Novak, a (Rafael) Nadal—someone to chase. But with statistics, it’s hard to have a conversation anymore,” he added. “He’s the most complete player, on all surfaces as well, because Nadal is dominant on one surface, whereas Novak has had that pretty much everywhere.”
“Just the ability to redirect, I think, is so underrated. That’s one thing I felt playing him—he could just change direction on anything I hit. And when you put it to him, it’s a high percentage, it’s crazy,” Kyrgios explained.
Kyrgios says Djokovic could be the ‘greatest athlete of all time’
While that praise was significant enough, the Australian—who has developed a strong relationship with Djokovic despite a rocky start—also suggested that the Serbian could be the “greatest athlete ever.”
“I think he’s in the conversation for the greatest athlete ever, with what he’s achieving. As I alluded to before, the intangibles of this sport are like no other,” Kyrgios said while commentating for Eurosport.
“Name me another sport where you can potentially be on the court for an hour and a half or five hours. Traveling the world like we do—it’s absurd what he’s been able to do. [He] never has a bad day,” he added.
Federer set the standard, but Djokovic surpassed him
Apart from often being described as one of the most elegant players, if not the most graceful of all time, Federer is also credited as a bridge between two great generations—the era of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi and the era of Djokovic and Nadal. He became one of the sport’s greatest ambassadors, breaking records once thought impossible, such as surpassing Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam titles to become the first man to win 20.
However, he was, perhaps inevitably, surpassed by Nadal and Djokovic. The Serbian, fighting against all odds, emerged victorious in the Grand Slam race, winning 24 (the most in the Open Era). He also leads in ATP Masters 1000 titles with 40 and has spent the most weeks as World No. 1 at 428. With these accomplishments, the Serbian has a strong case in the greatest of all time debate.