Share

Djokovic heaps praise on Kyrgios' serve

Cape Town - Novak Djokovic believes Nick Kyrgios' powerful serve was his biggest weapon as he was knocked out of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday.

The former world number one has now played four sets of tennis against the Australian and lost them all.

This loss at Indian Wells marks the second consecutive tournament where Kyrgios has knocked him out.

In an interview afterwards, Djokovic - who was once hailed as the best returner in the game - heaped praise on Kyrgios’ accurate and unreadable serve. 

"On his first serves, to try to anticipate and read his serve, where he's going to go 140 miles per hour down the T and also pretty good angle wide, it's hard to position yourself well... it is a gamble," the 12-time grand slam winner told the ATP World Tour website.

"His second serve, if you think you're going to have a look at it, you don't, because he goes for it as well. He didn't make too many double faults."

Kyrgios' win ends Djokovic's impressive 19-match winning streak at Indian Wells, where he won three years in a row from 2014.

Despite Wednesday's disappointing loss, Djokovic was proud of his amazing run in California.

"The run was amazing... I am very proud of it, obviously," he added.

"It had to end at some stage. Unfortunately, it was today. Nick, again, as he did in Acapulco earlier, a few weeks ago, he served so well.

"Just wasn't managing to get a lot of balls back on his serve, first and second, as well. That's what made a difference. He obviously comes out playing his style, very aggressive, and just going for every serve, whether it's first or second. It's obviously very hard to play like that."

Kyrgios faces Australian Open champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals on Friday.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE