Australian tennis professional Nick Kyrgios gave a fitting reply to Nicolas Mahut’s “he would lose to Jannik Sinner comfortably” comment.
In an exclusive interview with Telecom Asia Sport after his WTL match in Abu Dhabi, Kyrgios fired back at Mahut as he boasted about his ability to compete against top players, including Sinner.
Despite Mahut’s skepticism, Kyrgios remains confident about his chances at the Australian Open. As per Kyrgios, although Mahut was an amazing doubles player, he didn’t have the singles career results the Australian Firebrand was able to have. And that’s precisely why his opening means nothing to him.
Nick Kyrgios said, “I don’t know if there’s a back-and-forth. Nicolas Mahut, on a global level, hasn’t made inroads like I have, so I’ll let that be. And I don’t think the world necessarily cares too much about what Nicolas Mahut has to say.”
“I have people like Mahut telling me to be realistic. He was an amazing doubles player, a Grand Slam champion, no doubt, but he didn’t have the singles career I’ve had. That’s probably why he has his opinion. But on the singles court, he never had the belief I have, so that opinion means nothing to me. I’ve achieved way more things playing singles than Mahut could have in his entire career.”
Nick Kyrgios is eyeing competing against Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open
For the uninitiated, 2 weeks ago, Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios talked about competing against Jannik Sinner in the upcoming Australian Open, highlighting how he would like to turn the event into a ‘complete riot.’
He said, “I really want to go out there, and I really want to play Sinner. If I played him in the Australian Open, I’d get every person in the crowd to get on him. I would turn into an absolute riot. All respect would go out the window, and I would just do anything to win.”
Kyrgios is currently preparing for his comeback after a long absence from the sport and has been one of the most vocal critics of Jannik Sinner since the doping test results came to light.
He concluded, “That belief is what separates players. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic—they were the greatest because people were defeated before they even stepped on the court with them. I don’t want to be that player. I’ll always back my ability and my belief.”
The US Open champion first tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol on March 10 and then again after eight days. Now, it seems like Kyrgios wants to play the Italian. Well, that more so seems like a challenge.
