Kyrgios: ‘If he wins Roland, Nadal will definitely be the GOAT’

He never hid it, Nick Kyrgios is a big fan of Roger Federer. Tennistically, the spectacular game of the Swiss speaks to him more and he had designated him as the “best of all time” regardless of the figures a few months ago. But time has done its work and the Australian has changed his mind. As he prepares to resume competition in Indian Wells where he received an invitation, he once again spoke about the burning debate of the “GOAT” (“greatest of all time”) in his podcast “No Boundaries ” and now leans more for Rafael Nadal.

Leaving feelings aside, he even excluded Federer from the equation. “That’s it for Roger in this debate. In the face-to-face, he is dominated by the two (Nadal and Djokovic, editor’s note), really largely. And how could he beat them, even on grass now?”, he estimated. While we are still wondering if the Basel will be able to make a final comeback next summer at 41 and he should not even be able to play Wimbledon, the remark seems more than relevant.

Kyrgios amazed by Nadal’s comeback in Melbourne

That leaves Nadal and Djokovic. And while Kyrgios has normalized his relationship with the Serb in recent weeks, he was impressed by the Spaniard in the Australian Open final. “Before the game against Daniil Medvedev, I said it was a horrible confrontation for Rafa. At 3-2, 0/40 for Medvedev in the 3rd set, I thought it was over. And I looked at the score again two and a half hours later and thought, ‘That’s not possible.’ I never really doubted Rafa’s resources in his career but… If he wins Roland, he will undoubtedly be the GOAT.”

In the event of a victory on Parisian clay, Nadal would have 22 Grand Slam titles, giving him two lengths ahead of his rivals and a definite advantage. But Novak Djokovic, who should be allowed to play and defend his trophy in Paris, probably doesn’t hear it from that ear.