In front of a large crowd at Rod Laver Arena on Friday night, Nick Kyrgios played a practice match against Novak Djokovic, the opponent who defeated him in the Wimbledon final.
In the past, Kyrgios and Djokovic had a tense relationship because the Australian criticized the Serb also for organizing the disastrous Adria Tour in 2020, where famous athletes partied irresponsibly and contracted COVID-19.
But since Kyrgios stood up for Djokovic during his ordeal with deportation prior to the Australian Open last year, the two have grown much closer.
During a recent interview, Nick Kyrgios explained why it was tough for him at the beginning to support Novak Djokovic.
“I went against my words and stood up for him in front of my country. That wasn’t easy for me, either,” said Nick. “I dealt with a lot of criticism. But obviously, he appreciated that. It’s kind of gone from a rough sort of place to now we’re helping each other out on the biggest stage. We’re just great competitors.”
Nick Kyrgios in 2023
Currently the world no.21, Nick played his last match on the 6th of October 2022 when he overcame world no.96 Kamil Majchrzak 3-6 6-2 6-2 in the 2nd round in Tokyo (draw).
At the moment, during this season the Australian achieved a composed 37-10 win-loss record.
Kyrgios will play next at the Australian Open (Australian Open). He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 16th of January.
Novak Djokovic in 2023
LWWWWWWLWW At the moment ranked no.5, the Serbian played his last match on the 8th of January when he beat world no.31 Sebastian Korda 6-7(8) 7-6(3) 6-4 in the final in Adelaide to win his 92nd career title.
This year Novak achieved a compiled 5-0 match record. The Serbian clinched 1 title in Adelaide.
Djokovic will play next at the Australian Open (Australian Open). He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 16th of January.
Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic squared off 3 times. Their record is 2-1 for Kyrgios. The last time they squared off, Novak Djokovic won 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6(3) in the final in London (Wimbledon) in July 2022.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
