Challengers Movie: Hollywood Icon Josh O’Connor Namedrops Nick Kyrgios as His Ultimate Tennis Role Model in an Endearing Confession

Nick Kyrgios has a hidden role up in his sleeve in a tennis movie. While he won’t be seen acting on the big screen, he’s a part that’s been kept under wraps. In the highly anticipated film “Challengers,” in which Zendaya steals the show as the lead, Josh O’Connor plays the conceited tennis player Patrick. Behind the scenes, though, O’Connor reveals how the Australian “phenomenal tennis player” significantly influenced the development of his personality.

As the movie is ready to be released in a week, the British actor recently acknowledged how he has been following the 28-year-old tennis player’s game for a long time. Let’s take a look at what Connors has to say about his tennis inspiration.

Josh O’Connor took inspiration from Nick Kyrgios

In one of the recent premiers of the movie, the 33-year-old British actor opened up about the particular tennis player who inspired him while working on the movie. Without wasting a moment or even giving a thought, the first name that Connor took was “Nick Kyrgios.” Along with that, he stated, “But Kyrgios was my…I love Kyrgios. I love his attitude. He’s an entertainer. He’s a phenomenal tennis player. I was a fan of his tennis playing anyway, but for Patrick, he was a big inspiration.”

He also highlighted that apart from it was John McEnroe, who, along with Kyrgios, played a huge role in building the character of Patrick, the tennis player, into what he is in the tennis movie.

Apart from being an actor who played the role of a tennis player, he also detailed how he is a huge Kyrgios fan and enjoys watching him dominate the tennis court. However, in January, he said he did not want to play tennis anymore, but now he is ready to reignite his career once again.

“there’s still fire in the belly” – Kyrgios wishes to make a tennis comeback

Kyrgios is cautious about his return to the court and hasn’t given a firm timeline after battling multiple physical setbacks that required knee and wrist operations. He stated, “It’s arguably been one of the hardest years of my life tennis-wise.”

Further, he added, “I’ve had some really hard conversations with myself if I want to keep doing this. So I know there’s still fire in the belly, which is good, it’s healthy.” His last competitive encounter took place in June 2023, when he lost to China’s Wu Yibing in Stuttgart.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see when he plans his comeback. What are your thoughts on the recent Kyrgios revelation? Do let us know in the comment section below.