Nick Kyrgios was brutally slammed by two former Russian players after he announced his long-awaited comeback.
For the majority of his tennis career, the Australian player had to deal with plenty of expectations. Those arose thanks to his early success on the ATP Tour, which included beating Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic the first time he played against them.
More often than not, he couldn't meet those expectations. Until 2022, his best result at a Grand Slam tournament were two quarter-final appearances at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships and the 2015 Australian Open.
After that, Kyrgios never got past the fourth round, which he reached only three times between 2016 and 2021. He won seven career trophies, but given the talent that many saw in him early on, it could be said that he failed to meet expectations.
That's why many see Kyrgios as a player who never met his potential and as someone who could have won at least one Grand Slam title had he cared more about his tennis career.
However, there are also those who disagree with that opinion, and one of them seems to be former World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko. According to many tennis fans, he was one of the best tennis players never to win a Grand Slam title.
The Russian player also proved his worth against the Big Three, beating all three of them and even having a winning H2H record against Nadal, 6-5. He won the 2009 ATP Finals after beating Nadal in the group stage and Federer in the semi-finals of the tournament.
According to Tennis365, Davydenko talked about Kyrgios in a conversation with Russian outlet BetBoom Tennis after the Australian player announced his comeback at the 2025 Australian Open.
The 43-year-old retired Russian player was brutal in his assessment of the talented Australian, saying that Kyrgios is 'overrated' and that he failed to meet the expectations anytime it mattered.
"He is generally overrated… When it was time to play, he was always injured. In short, let’s forget about him."
Davydenko's compatriot, Elena Vesnina, who was the World No. 13 on the WTA Tour in singles and World No. 1 in doubles, having won three doubles and one mixed doubles major, agreed with her compatriot.
However, Vesnina was a bit less brutal, as she also recognized Kyrgios' qualities, saying that he has a great serve and forehand but never could showcase that when it mattered.
"I agree. But he is incredibly talented and gifted. He has a powerful serve and a superb forehand. But when it came to winning a major title, all that went up in smoke."
Vesnina also shared her opinion about Kyrgios' chances of winning a Grand Slam. According to her, showmen like him can't win major titles, as they can't keep a consistent level over two weeks.
"Nick is capable of beating strong tennis players, but these are one-off cases. I doubt he can play for two weeks at a level that would allow him to win a Slam. You can't win a Grand Slam if you're a showman."
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