Daniil Medvedev is still reeling from his US Open loss, but he might have just found the winning combination. It is a hypothetical player of course, but one who would be absolutely invincible on the tennis court. Medvedev’s player is so flawless, that he even got the stamp of approval from Nick Kyrgios himself.
In a recent video for the ATP Tour, Medvedev had to build the perfect tennis player. He could choose the best traits from among current and retired players, and Daniil ran with it.
Medvedev’s perfect player had the best qualities of tennis icons like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal. In fact, Daniil chose the ‘Big 3’ on more than one occasion, thus building the most formidable player ever.
💭 @DaniilMedwed Builds His PERFECT Player!
Do you agree with his picks? 👀 pic.twitter.com/tr8tBR4WL3
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 19, 2023
He chose Roger for his exceptional forehand, slice, and net game. Daniil’s perfect player would have Djokovic’s flexibility, returning ability, and competitiveness. The Russian picked himself for speed and Nadal for his competitiveness and mental toughness.
Medvedev named Kyrgios for having the best serve, as well as net game, alongside Federer. “I go with Kyrgios. Especially for his height, he has one of the best serves ever. Nick, regarding the height, power that he has, and precision – is probably the best,” he said (via Tennis365).
Given how perfect this ‘player’ would be, Kyrgios could not help but react to it as well. The Aussie star took to X (formerly Twitter), to retweet the clip with the caption, “Respect.”
Respect https://t.co/c9I3uvHHOL
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) September 20, 2023
Nick Kyrgios has been on the sidelines for the entirety of the year due to his unfortunate injuries. But the star is making progress and plans to return to action by next year.
How did Nick Kyrgios fare against the top players?
As controversial as Kyrgios can be sometimes, he is also a challenging player to overcome. When he is on song, he can defeat even the best in the game. In fact, he is one of the few players to have a positive head-to-head against the current world number one, Novak.
Djokovic and Kyrgios have locked horns only thrice, but the Aussie has walked away with a win on two occasions. However, Djokovic handed him a defeat in the Wimbledon final of 2022. It was a closely contested match, but Djokovic ultimately prevailed.
Kyrgios also has a positive head-to-head against Medvedev. The duo have clashed five times in their careers, with Kyrgios emerging victorious four times. The last time they clashed was in the Round of 16 match at the US Open last year. Kyrgios had defeated him in four sets.
Federer and Kyrgios have played against each other seven times, with the Swiss ace defeating him in six of them. However, the only time Kyrgios won against Federer was in their first-ever matchup, at the Madrid Open in 2015.
Nick Kyrgios is a highly entertaining player, and he can control the intensity of the game remarkably well. It is only a matter of time, till he returns to the tennis court.
