Kyrgios assesses the greats

Nick Kyrgios will face Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday, having beaten the Serb just a fortnight ago in Acapulco.

Kyrgios’s straight-sets win over the world No.2 in the Acapulco quarterfinals earned him the distinction of being just the second player – along with fellow Aussie Lleyton Hewitt – to have beaten Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in his first meetings with each opponent.

In 2014, a teenaged Kyrgios stunned then-world No.1 Nadal in the fourth round at Wimbledon. Less than a year later, he outlasted Federer in a third set tiebreak at the 2015 Madrid Masters.

Unlike Hewitt, who beat the trio when they were up-and-comers, Kyrgios scored his wins after the so-called Big Three had established themselves as legends of the game.

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have combined for 42 Grand Slam singles titles.

Who was the toughest for Kyrgios to face?

“I mean, it’s tough, isn’t it?” he answered after beating Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the third round at Indian Wells on Tuesday.

“The first time I played Rafa was on grass court. That’s definitely his least favourite surface. I played Federer on clay, probably his least favourite surface.

“I mean, it’s tough. They’re all great champions and three of the greatest of all time. I don’t know. The toughest … Jesus. I don’t want to give an answer, because I know it’s going to blow up the next day that I said something.

“It was all tough. I mean, out of the three that I liked the best, I mean, I obviously liked Roger. He’s greatest of all time. I’m not going to answer that question.”

The press corps then took a different approach – what could he learn from those three great players?

“I would just like to ask Rafa how he can play every point as if his life is on the line,” Kyrgios said.

“I think that’s one thing that gets overlooked. He’s so good at tennis that you sort of don’t really appreciate how he lines up for every point and he plays it, whether he’s 40-0 down or 40-0 up.

“I think that’s the most incredible thing about his game. That’s something I don’t have.”