Nick Kyrgios: "I never took myself seriously enough to be on ATP Tour, beating people like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer"

Nick Kyrgios recently opened up about how he "never took himself seriously enough" to be a professional tennis player. He also said he never expected to beat legendary players like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Kyrgios is currently recovering from a knee injury that caused him to withdraw from all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2023. The Aussie was expected to make a comeback at the 2024 Australian Open, but he recently ruled out that possibility.

Kyrgios recently appeared on the 'On Purpose with Jay Shetty' podcast and engaged in a long conversation with Shetty. He spoke about how he never imagined himself playing on the ATP Tour alongside Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer, let alone beating them on occasion.

"Look, tennis was, it was such an interesting journey," Kyrgios said (at 2:43). "You know, I never thought I was 17, 18, still in school and people were telling me, you could really do something. I never took myself seriously enough to one day be on the [ATP] Tour, beating people like Djokovic, Nadal & Federer. It was just never in my mind. And then all of a sudden it just happened. And my life changed."

"It's like I have big imposter syndrome. Like I'm sitting here. I watch you, my bed in my house in Canberra. I'm watching you. And then now all of a sudden I'm here having a conversation. Like that's just, for me, it's crazy," he added.

Nick Kyrgios turned heads by defeating then-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2014. The victory made headlines around the globe and gave him a one-way ticket to stardom.

The 28-year-old has a 2-1 lead over Novak Djokovic in their head-to-head record. However, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both have the upper hand against the Aussie, with 6-3 and 6-1 leads respectively.

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Nick Kyrgios on reaching Wimbledon final: "That's the one time in my life where everything made sense"

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios pictured at Wimbledon 2022

Nick Kyrgios reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. However, he was denied the title by World No. 1 Novak Djokovic after a hard-fought four-set contest.

Kyrgios recalled the moment on the same podcast, saying it was "incredible" and the one time in his life when "everything made sense."

"I was like, this is incredible. How, how am I here in this moment in time? And yeah, I was walking out to the court and I just. Yeah, like it's like every single thing that I'd gone through, training, family sacrifice, it all, that's the one time in my life where everything made sense. Everything made sense," he said (at 17:02).

The Australian also stated that even though he definitely wanted to add the trophy to his collection, he saw the loss as a learning experience.

"It was a great final, but I just remember seeing the doors open real slowly. And I saw every blade of grass, the same length. And I just walked out there and it was just like home. And then that was it. I just, I'm not disappointed that I lost the match. Obviously, I would love to have a Wimbledon crown, but it was all a bonus," Nick Kyrgios said.