Novak Djokovic has joked that he would be able to coach Nick Kyrgios to five Grand Slam successes if given the opportunity. The Serbian recently advanced to the quarter-finals of the Banja Luka Open following his victory over French teen Luca Van Assche.
Djokovic survived a scare on Wednesday after bouncing back from a set down to secure a 6-7 (4) 6-3 6-2 victory. The 35-year-old is contending with an elbow issue at the ATP 250 event, with a recurring injury causing him problems once again, but is hoping to right the wrongs of his final defeat in last year’s tournament.
After the match, Djokovic commented that he would be happy to help the hot-headed Kyrgios enjoy more success on the court. He said: “I would love to coach Nick Kyrgios.
“He would win five Slams with me, but it would not come cheap.” The pair have faced off three times overall so far, though failing to share the court regularly has not prevented the duo from forming a solid friendship.
Kyrgios has participated in a charity match with Djokovic previously and also provided him with off-court support when talks over his vaccination status were rife. However, the Australian may not be the easiest player to coach given that he does not want to put that ‘burden’ on someone due to his moods.
Instead, the 27-year-old nurtures his own development and analyses the own aspects of his game. Kyrgios’ temper has been his own downfall on occasions, reaching only a single Grand Slam final in his career.
Speaking about facing off against Kyrgios when the pair met back in the Australia Open 2022, British star Liam Broady told Clay: “It was good fun, stressful, the crowd was crazy, obviously Nick is pretty crazy in a tennis court as well. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like a tennis match to play with him, it can feel almost like a practice because the way he plays makes you relax and then he plays really good and focuses, and then he drops again
“Is like playing a bit of cat & mouse. It was a fantastic experience for me, and I think it was good to face a crowd so strongly for the other player. It was great to maybe learn how to handle it and deal with it yourself. Especially to someone who is my sort of ranking. Biggest matches are in that sort of environment.”
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