'I never thought that I'd be...' - Nick Kyrgios talks about evolution of his relationship with Novak Djokovic

Nick Kyrgios recently spoke about the changing dynamics of his relationship with Novak Djokovic. While there was once friction between the two players, they now appear to be on good terms.

The tensions between Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic came to a head during the 2021 Australian Open. Before the tournament, Djokovic had communicated suggestions to ease COVID-19 quarantine restrictions to tournament director Craig Tiley. Kyrgios publicly expressed disapproval of Djokovic's actions, using strong language to criticize the Serbian player.

In 2020, Kyrgios also criticized Djokovic for organizing a Tennis event amidst the escalating COVID-19 situation, which resulted in several players and fans contracting the virus. Although Djokovic initially did not respond to Kyrgios' criticism, he addressed the issue during a press conference leading up to the 2021 Australian Open.

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The tension appeared to diminish after Djokovic's contentious 2022 Australian Open vaccination situation, which resulted in the Serbian player being deported from Australia. Kyrgios publicly backed Djokovic during this time, and since then, the two competed in a Grand Slam final at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and have seemingly developed a strong friendship off the court.

In a recent podcast with The Tennis Insider Club, the Aussie, reminiscined the time he featured in a finals clash against the great Serb. He reflected on how the times had turned, and the bitter off-court relationship they shared had now turned into a good friendship. Nick revealed that the duo shares memes and stuff on their Instagram and stays connected.

"Yeah, it's crazy. I never thought that I'd be really good friends with Novak Djokovic at all, and it's not just on the courts. It's like, we text each other, we send ridiculous memes and all this stuff on Instagram," Nick revealed in a podcast with Tennis Insider.

A friendly Banter in US Open 2024

Following Djere's withdrawal from a match against Novak Djokovic, Novak assessed his serve during an on-court interview with Nick Kyrgios, who was serving as an analyst and commentator for ESPN during the hardcourt Major. Djokovic jokingly remarked that not every player on the ATP Tour can live up to Kyrgios' exceptional serving standards.

"Over 2 hours for 2 sets. I served awful. Playing without a serve, you have to grind and run. Not everyone serves like you. I guess I have to rely on my baseline game," Djokovic said.

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