'Amazing' - Nick Kyrgios lauds Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and LeBron James
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Updated 16/06/2022 at 20:52 GMT
"I mean, it is great. As long as these legends... I think humans always take athletes for granted," Nick Kyrgios said when giving some gushing thoughts about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and LeBron James. "I think we should just - as long as they want to keep playing - we have just got to keep taking it in and enjoying that because the time is nearly up."
Kyrgios - 'Everyone should play at Wimbledon' as he dismisses ranking points concern
Nick Kyrgios has paid tribute to Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and LeBron James, who he says are "taken for granted".
Speaking at ATP Halle as he continues his preparations for Wimbledon, the Australian used a press conference to speak about how "amazing" the collection of "legends" were and warned against anyone not appreciating their talents.
Kyrgios' comments come after Nadal claimed his 22nd Grand Slam singles title at the French Open and with Serena targeting a big return at SW19 in a bid to make more history of her own.
"I mean, it is great. As long as these legends... I think humans always take athletes for granted," he said at ATP Halle.
"Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal], Novak [Djokovic], LeBron [James], Serena [Williams], like, these athletes are so rare. Like, they are just amazing.
"I think we should just - as long as they want to keep playing - we have just got to keep taking it in and enjoying that because the time is nearly up for all of these players.
"So it is amazing to see her [Serena Williams] playing again and playing the biggest tournament in the world - it is amazing.
"I think it is also, I will add, I think it is a great example that every player should try and play Wimbledon, rather than not play for the [lack of ranking] points.
"I think as a kid, you want to win Wimbledon, you want to play Wimbledon, everyone that follows tennis knows what Wimbledon is, and people that even do not follow tennis know what Wimbledon is.
"So I think that is a great example. Obviously, she is not worried about her ranking, I understand, but everyone should be playing Wimbledon I think if they can."
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Kyrgios through to the last eight after beating second seed Tsitsipas
Kyrgios’s on-court antics were again in the spotlight after his impressive 7-5 6-2 6-4 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle to reach the quarter-finals.
The 27-year-old was given a warning after smashing his racquet on the floor in frustration at losing the opening set. He had already complained to the umpire over the Hawkeye system earlier in the set, and after the Australian lost the first set to Tsitsipas, the incident with the racquet played out.
The world No. 65 angrily smashed his racquet on the floor at the end of the first set but managed to escape with a warning, unlike in the match against Murray when he suffered a game penalty.
Kyrgios managed to turn his fortunes around and claim the victory to set up a quarter-final tie with Pablo Carreno Busta, and after the match walked over to the crowd and gave his broken racquet to a spectator.
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Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from June 27, as well as the two singles finals live on July 9 and 10.
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