The Paris Olympics has everyone hooked to their screen. As the world watches new champions taking the podium, and in some cases, experience coming in handy as a few successfully defend their title, what’s the first thought that comes to a sports fan’s mind? Who are the best of the best? Did the new champion overtake the legacies left, or are the retired shadows still standing tall? Opinions may differ from person to person. The same happened with Nick Kyrgios, as the Australian pitched Rafael Nadal to one coveted list, and missing on Roger Federer. 

After Djokovic’s scintillating and emotional win, a new legend has appeared in the tennis scene. Even after winning 24 Grand Slam, Djokovic and tennis fans alike felt that his tennis career puzzle is yet to be completed. And after winning the gold, the Serbian Ace stands at the top of the tennis pyramid. In a recent tweet, a sports fan came out with the list titled, “My generation really witnessed”. It contained the names of all the greats from not only different sports but also music. Ending with caption with, “Can’t think of a luckier generation.”

However, several tennis enthusiasts, including Kyrgios, discovered that there were a few missing names. But the twist came in when the Australian tennis star commented, “Nadal?” A shocking reaction, as whenever there would be a list of the tennis greats, a few names would be at the top: ‘Big 3′ and Serena Williams. However, there is more to the list, such as Andy Murray, Venus Williams, and so on. But the former players are in a league of their own. And while mentioning the missing from the list, Kyrgios overlooked the charming Federer.

Kyrgios missing forgetting or overlooking Federer may not be acceptable. But the Australian has immense respect for the Swiss legend. One time, the Australian tennis star praised the ‘Big 3’ for their commitment to tennis. He had said, “You look at Roger and Novak and Nadal, like, I’m not saying they’re doing it wrong. Like they’ve bought into the process. And they’ve become, you know, champions and whatever. But I just think I’m just not that personality.”

Though he may not be ready to make the sacrifices which they have made, Kyrgios likes Djokovic, the same cannot be said for Federer!

Federer was not Nick Kyrgios’ role model!

There have been a few instances where Kyrgios has been compared to Federer and the former has always reacted sharply to it. Reason? “I never looked at him and I was like, ‘I wanna be that guy,’ I knew it wasn’t attainable.” Federer seemed to be a faraway goal for the Australian tennis player. But this was not all. During an appearance with Piers Morgan, Kyrgios was ticked off when the English broadcaster praised Federer while taking a dig at Kyrgios. And he was sharp in his reaction, as usual.

Morgan had said, “I’m not going to give you sushi because Roger Federer would never do that, because he’s too classy and he would have too much respect for the journalists. So you’re not going to get a pass on that.” And that set Kyrgios on fire, as after a lengthy explanation about food and nutrition, Kyrgios monologue also contained: “I don’t have the luxury of having 13 people to tie my shoelaces like Roger Federer or make sure I have a white vest to walk on court with. I have to do these things mostly on my own. To compare Nick Kyrgios to Roger Federer is ridiculous”

Nobody knows what factor featured in Kyrgios pitching for the gentleman Nadal while skipping the charismatic Federer. Could Kyrgios’ brotherhood with Djokovic might be the one, as Federer missed on congratulating the Serb for his dream feat? Or these few incidents have ticked Federer off Kyrgios’s list forever?