Novak Djokovic to Nick Kyrgios: Ditch the Booze, Get Back on the Court

The bromance between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios is one of tennis’s most bizarre and, honestly, most entertaining storylines. It started with animosity, with Kyrgios lobbing verbal grenades at Djokovic, calling him “cringeworthy” and showing him “no respect.” But then, in a twist nobody saw coming, Kyrgios became one of the few players to defend Djokovic during the whole Australian visa-gate saga. Just like that, a beautiful, weird friendship was born.

Now, with Kyrgios sidelined by yet another injury and missing his third straight US Open, Djokovic is publicly wishing for his return. But, in true Djokovic fashion, it came with a side of some brutally honest, slightly savage advice.

Djokovic’s Blunt Advice for Kyrgios

In a recent chat with Clay, Djokovic spilled the tea on his DMs with Kyrgios. Apparently, the Aussie loves to flood Djokovic’s inbox with videos from his nightclub adventures. “He’ll go to a party, bump into one of ours, they’ll say: ‘Nick, you Serb!’ Then they hug, drink, and he sends me the videos,” Djokovic revealed. You can almost picture Djokovic, the picture of athletic discipline, shaking his head with a smirk while watching these clips.

While the banter is all in good fun, Djokovic clearly misses his friend on the court. He didn’t hold back his thoughts on why Kyrgios is stuck in a cycle of injuries, pointing directly at the Aussie’s lifestyle.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t have the discipline that was required,” Novak stated, before dropping this bombshell: “but if he had 30 percent—and he has five percent—he’d be Top 10 easily.” Ouch. The truth hurts, but he’s not wrong. Djokovic reminded everyone that Kyrgios “played a Wimbledon final without warm-up, without serious training, without a coach.” It’s a testament to the Aussie’s freakish, raw talent.

Then came the kicker, the advice that was both a plea and a warning. “He has so much talent and potential, he could have done incredible things, but neglecting his body brought him where he is… I wish him all the best, and maybe a little less drinking and sending those videos.” It’s the kind of tough love only a true friend can deliver.