Nick Kyrgios issues scathing response to Nicolas Mahut's criticism; cites Federer, Nadal, Djokovic's 'greatness' to back his argument

Nick Kyrgios recently hit back at Nicolas Mahut following the latter's criticism of the former. To drive home his point, Kyrgios cited the examples of the legendary Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Kyrgios had previously claimed that his imminent return to competitive tennis is all about gunning for singles Grand Slam glory. The closest Kyrgios came to winning a singles Major was at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where he finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic. The Australian had later expressed confidence over a potential matchup with reigning World No. 1 Jannik Sinner at the 2025 Australian Open.

However, according to Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, a former doubles No. 1, Nick Kyrgios' singles Grand Slam title aspirations are not "realistic" because the Australian is set to make his comeback after almost two years on the sidelines, during which he played just one competitive match.

"I think all the things before the match are harder to handle for Sinner than the match itself. Kyrgios hasn't been back that long and of course you can dream of the title at the Australian Open, but you have to be realistic. Even if the crowd gets excited, Sinner will win that with 6-3's," Mahut told Eurosport.

In a recent interview with Telecom Asia Sport, Kyrgios fired back at Mahut, questioning the veteran Frenchman's Major credentials as a singles player.

"I have people like Mahut telling me to be realistic. He was an amazing doubles player, a Grand Slam champion, no doubt, but he didn't have the singles career I've had. That's probably why he has his opinion. But on the singles court, he never had the belief I have, so that opinion means nothing to me. I've achieved way more things playing singles than Mahut could have in his entire career," Nick Kyrgios said.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist went on to opine that many tennis players lost the mental battle even before stepping out on to the court to face Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. However, according to Kyrgios, he has the "ability and belief" needed to win against the best players. The Australian is one of the few players who defeated each of the famed Big Three at least once.

"That belief is what separates players. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic - they were the greatest because people were defeated before they even stepped on the court with them. I don't want to be that player. I'll always back my ability and my belief," he added.

The Australian had earlier clarified his comments about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, which triggered backlash on social media.

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Nick Kyrgios clarifies controversial Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner remark with Djokovic, Federer, Nadal comparison

Nick Kyrgios (Source: Getty)

An X (formerly Twitter) user took a swipe at Nick Kyrgios over a part of the Australian's recent remark about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Kyrgios labeled Alcaraz and Sinner as "kids" and also opined that the Spaniard and the Italian "don't have the aura." The user pointed to Alcaraz and Sinner's success at winning singles Grand Slam titles and Kyrgios' failure to do the same.

Then, the Australian issued a clarification on X, writing:

"No context here at all lol. Media is in a bad spot that’s for sure. Compared to Novak , Federer, Nadal they are yet to have the aura that they have. They will for sure get there but realistically they are kids doing insane things. Do better. Potatoes."

Kyrgios has never faced Alcaraz before, while he battled Sinner once in a heated encounter at the 2022 Miami Open. The Italian came out on top on that occasion.