"Alexander Zverev's an incredibly hard worker; That's his reputation" - Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios recently showered praise on Alexander Zverev for the German's work ethic and perseverance.

Kyrgios has been away from the tennis court off late due to multiple injuries. In the 2023 season, he has played only one competitive match, losing to China's Yibing Wu at the Stuttgart Open.

The Australian recently appeared as a panelist for the Tennis Channel's 2023 ATP Finals coverage. He weighed in on his recovery process among many other things during the show.

Kyrgios sounded motivated about making a comeback keeping Zverev's journey in his head. He praised the German for his determination to bounce back from a horrific ankle injury that he sustained at the French Open in 2022.

"Alexander Zverev’s an incredibly hard worker. That’s his reputation. He ticks all the boxes and, if someone like that can come back from an injury like that, I think that’s what I have to draw inspiration from for sure," Nick Kyrgios said.

Zverev recently defeated World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the round-robin stage at the year-end championships.

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Nick Kyrgios leads 4-3 in head-to-head against Alexander Zverev

Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev greet each other: Miami Open 2018 - Day 9

Nick Kyrgios has played against Alexander Zverev seven times to date and won on four occasions. The duo's rivalry, however, feels dated as the last time they faced each other was more than four years ago in 2019.

Kyrgios clinched victories in his first two ties with the German. He first won their match at the 2017 Indian Wells Open in straight sets. In their second clash, Zverev produced a better fight as he won a set against the Australian for the first time.

However, he was not able to stop Kyrgios from securing a 6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3 win at the Miami Open.

The World No. 7 tasted success for the first time against Kyrgios at the Canadian Open six years ago. He downed his opponent 6-4, 6-3 during his title-winning run in Montreal, notably defeating Roger Federer in the final.

The Australian later registered his third win against Zverev at the China Open in 2017. In 2018, the German tied the head-to-head tally 3-3 with two back-to-back wins. He defeated his opponent first at the Davis Cup and consequently in Miami.

Their last encounter came in the form of a summit clash at the Mexican Open in 2019. Kyrgios won the match 6-3, 6-4 and earned his fifth title on tour.