Nick Kyrgios hilariously forgets Steffi Graf's name, addresses German legend as Andre Agassi's partner who was a 'professional tennis player'

Australian tennis sensation Nick Kyrgios forgot 22-time Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf's name during an interview. He hilariously addressed Graf as eight-time Major winner Andre Agassi's wife, which is the right identification but doesn't justify the German legend's legacy.

Graf is only behind Serena Williams in terms of winning the Grand Slams in the Open Era history. Also, she sits atop the tally of most number of weeks spent as the World No. 1 on the WTA singles circuit, with 377 weeks against her column putting her second only to Novak Djokovic in the all-time list.

Nick Kyrgios appeared for a chat on The Louis Theroux Podcast and while discussing Andre Agassi's account of "hating" tennis in the American's biography, the Australian addressed Graf as a 'professional tennis player' without naming her.

"I've said that I dislike tennis, I have a love-hate relationship," Kyrgios said (at 23:44). "I love competing and there are days when I absolutely love the sport, sometimes I dislike it. I feel like my actions have proven that I don’t have the passion for the sport as some other players do.

"It’s interesting that I hear someone like Agassi say he doesn’t love it because his entire life, he played a heavy schedule, he played all the time. I think his partner was a professional tennis player."

At this, host Louis Theroux interrupted the Aussie and reminded her of the 22-time Grand Slam champion's name.

"Steffi Graf, I think he’s still with Steffi, she’s the mother of his children," Theroux said, bringing a wry smile on Nick Kyrgios' face.

Kyrgios, however, continued with his speech, adding:

"So like you kind of moulded your whole life with tennis. With mine, you can’t say that. I’ve barely played a full schedule for the last eight years of my life. I miss tournaments whenever I want to. I’d rather play basketball than playing basketball, my fashion is completely different."

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Nick Kyrgios: "There have been players that have gone on to say, ‘Oh I don’t like tennis!’, but then they are playing every single week"

Nick Kyrgios (Getty)

Nick Kyrgios extended his viewpoint and took indirect shots at Steffi Graf's husband Andre Agassi and others for voicing their dislinking toward tennis but continuing to be regular on the tours.

"So, there have been players that have kind of, in my eyes, gone on to say, ‘Oh I don’t like tennis!’, but then they are playing every single week. No one is forcing them to play," he said in the same episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast (24:33).

The former World No. 13 added:

"So, it’s hard for me to believe it because I genuinely have sacrificed my ranking, money to just not play because I don’t like the sport. These guys, they wouldn’t miss that for the world."

Nick Kyrgios has certainly stayed away from competition a lot, having played his last professional match in June 2023 at the Stuttgart Open, where he lost to China's Wu Yibing in the Round of 32.

Moreover, he hasn't appeared at the Grand Slams since the 2022 US Open but is expected to return to the Australian Open in January 2025.