Although Novak Djokovic is a former World No. 1, popular opinion doesn’t favor him. While he might not be thought of as a ‘bro’, his and Nick Kyrgios’ bromance dates back to 2022. The duo had made it to the Wimbledon Championships final and the stage was set for a thrilling encounter. They didn’t disappoint as Djokovic and Kyrgios’ display entertained the tennis world. Eventually, Djokovic won the match and received a warm congratulatory hug from Kyrgios.
Interestingly, the two had a brief feud a few years ago where Nole used to say he had “no respect” for Kyrgios while the latter called him “useless” and “a tool”. But that changed into friendship after their match at Wimbledon. While the Australian star congratulated Djokovic, the latter made a heartening revelation on Kyrgios, saying that he deserved to be in the final and was one of the best players in the world. It was a turning point in their relationship and since then, the duo has often had warm interactions.
One such incident took place recently, when Kyrgios, who is commentating at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, took to social media to share a heartwarming message for Djokovic and his family. Earlier today, a fan shared Kyrgios’ video in which he was playing with Djokovic’s son, Stefan. The duo enjoyed their time out while playing catchball. The Australian star came across this video, tweeting, “Beautiful family,” along with a heart emoji.
Indeed, he had the time of his life with Djokovic’s son, as he took a little break from his busy commentating schedule. The Aussie player became close to the Serbian after their Wimbledon matchup, where Djokovic had nothing but praise to offer. “I never thought I’m going to say so many nice things about you,” Djoker joked. “OK, it’s officially a bromance.”
Another inicdent to bring them together was strangely the deportation before the Australian Open from Kyrgios’ home country. Djokovic was opposed to the COVID-19 vaccination, which the Aussie player supported amid huge controversy regarding this stance.
“I thought to myself, ‘Well, you know, I really want to speak to him because I don’t know, like, what have I done?’ So then two years ago … what happened here in Australia for me, I don’t want to go back, but, you know, we had a tough time, and you stood up for me. That was a big surprise. You were one of the very few colleagues that stood up that used his platform, used his voice, to support me,” Djokovic said of Kyrgios. “That’s something that I’ll never forget, and since that moment, our relationship has gotten better.”
In the ongoing Wimbledon Championships, Djokovic has reached the semifinal after Alex de Minaur pulled out of their quarterfinal match. However, the Serb has been subject to constant boos from the fans throughout the tournament. Amid this, Kyrgios showed support for his good friend.
Nick Kyrgios backs Novak Djokovic amid heat from fans
After Djokovic’s pre-quarterfinal win over Holger Rune, he created quite a stir with his jibe at fans, who were booing him in the stadium. The Serb was left frustrated with the fans going against him, despite putting on a good display in that encounter. As a result, he told fans to have a good night in the same tone during the post-match interview.
Amid this controversial jibe, Kyrgios supported him, saying, “I don’t think he would have looked back on that match and nit-picked or anything like that. But at the same time I think that Novak looks for more motivation in those things, I have seen it many times, I have tried to do things like that but it just doesn’t work.”
The Serb is the kind of player who tries to find motivation amid an environment that wants to hold him back. Indeed, Djokovic put on a great display after the decibel levels went against him. He will next face Lorenzo Musetti in the last 4 and expect a similar hostile environment to welcome Djokovic in that match.
