Nick Kyrgios lavishes praise on Roger Federer's aesthetically pleasing playing style

Nick Kyrgios has lavished praise on Roger Federer for the latter's playing style, which is widely regarded as one of the most aesthetically pleasing to ever grace the sport.

Federer's all-court game, combined with his attacking style of play and eclectic variety of shots, yielded 103 titles, which are inclusive of 20 Grand Slam titles. The Swiss' artistry would come to the fore especially when he employed his signature one-handed backhand, played risky drop shots, and displayed his net-game prowess.

Recently, the man behind the Tuned Into Tennis podcast, Myles David, shared a video of the former ATP World No. 1. The video featured Federer during a rally in a match, where he played a mix of forehands and backhands before coming to the net to finish off the point with an overhead smash. David captioned the post:

"I know tennis isn't just about aesthetics but if it ever was, Roger Federer would get 10s everytime."

Kyrgios took notice of the post and reacted to it with the caption:

"Smoothest to ever do it"

Federer and Kyrgios faced each other on seven occasions on the ATP Tour, with the Swiss winning six of them. Kyrgios' sole victory came in the pair's maiden clash in the Round of 32 at the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open.

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"Only a couple of people are relatable to Roger Federer, I'm not" - Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios (L) and Roger Federer (R) at the Tennis Rally for Relief ahead of the 2020 Australian Open

Since his debut on the ATP Tour, Nick Kyrgios has been lauded by fans, peers, coaches, and former pros for his undeniable talent. For instance, after Kyrgios' loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, Goran Ivanisevic, the Serb's coach at the time, hailed the Australian as a 'tennis genius'.

"You cannot prepare match against Nick Kyrgios. Nick Kyrgios is a genius, tennis genius. He doesn't know what he's going to play next in the point," Ivanisevic told the press.

However, Kyrgios' commitment to tennis has often been questioned and cited as one of the reasons he has still not managed to win a Grand Slam title. The Australian himself, though, has come to terms with who he is, and recently dismissed comparisons with Federer on the Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios podcast.

"If everyone was the same and acted the same, no one would watch. They wouldn't be growing fans, youthful fans, like... I'm not relatable to Federer. Only a couple of people are relatable to Federer, I'm not. I never looked at him and I was like, 'I wanna be that guy,' I knew it wasn't attainable", Kyrgios said.