Nick Kyrgios paid a tribute to Roger Federer as he feels there will never be another Federer. Kyrgios, 27, clashed Federer seven times. Kyrgios clinched just one victory over Federer, but they had several thriller battles in which the Australian fell just short of beating the Swiss.
On Thursday, Federer announced he is retiring from tennis after the Laver Cup. Unfortunately, Kyrgios is set to miss the Laver Cup for the first time in his career. “No one will ever play the game like you. enjoy it @rogerfederer – was an honour,” Kyrgios wrote on Instagram.
Kyrgios: Federer makes you want to leave the court
After losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic in this year’s Wimbledon final, Kyrgios explained why he felt Federer was the toughest to play against.
“I wouldn’t say that. Like I said before, I had a chance to win the match. He doesn’t make you feel as bad as Federer does at times,” Kyrgios said. “I think Federer, out of the other three guys, Federer can make you feel really bad, like he makes you want to leave the court.
He can make things seem really quick and that the court’s really small.” When Kyrgios and Federer met for the first time at the 2015 Madrid Masters, Kyrgios produced a big upset win. Federer won each of their next meetings, but four of those four of those six wins came in three sets.
“Nadal and Djokovic, they allow you to play a little bit from the back and if you’re not playing great, then you struggle,” Kyrgios said. “But Federer can really take it to you and get you off the court real quick.”
Probably the most memorable match between Kyrgios and Federer came at the 2017 Miami Masters. In a match that lasted three hours and 11 minutes, Federer edged out Kyrgios 7-6 (9) 6-7 (9) 7-6 (5).
