Is Nick Kyrgios the Most Talented Tennis Player Ever?

what do you call a player that has virtually played no tennis in 2 years and does this to a perennial top 10 player yeah that's right he just strolled in and completely and utterly destroyed him and yep I get it it's an exhibition it's a friendly but let's be fair Casper was out there trying he simply could not do anything because that player across the net is Nick Kos a name that divides opinion like no other in tennis some call him a Maverick others a wasted Talent flashy give more flash Rebel talented talented special one but what if I told you that Nick Heros might just be the most talented player the sport has ever seen this is the kid that stopped Rafa as a 19-year-old wild card at Wimbledon he hits forehand so fast all they can do is watch and applaud right out of the top draw at PACE he can go either way on the serve and hits the corners at will he even throws in the drop serve when he feels like it on his day he has beaten Novak and Roger he has even beaten the former a little bit hung over 3 4 years ago I reckon I was drinking five six times a week and still competing at the highest level but as entertaining as he is when he is having his day is he going to ask someone in the crowd where he should serve we've seen arguably it has been even more entertaining when it's not are you good at tennis exactly so why are you speaking his ran in racket smashing and crash talking a Next [Music] Level wor in the game Fergus Murphy yeah perhaps his attempt at humor or overt modesty can come across as arrogant and look he has not done himself any favors in shaping his public perception out of my head it flipped out of my head Nick is nearing his 30s the wasted potential tag Still Remains [Music] but is this a Monica crafted by the media is Nick simply a misunderstood Enigma and will he still have time to change the narrative before his career comes to a close so out of all the players on tour why does Nick always get labeled with The Talented but not hitting their potential tag well his former coach Josh Eagle said imagine if Nick worked on his tennis game 15 minutes a day it sounds crazy but that's not actually happening and he's still 13th in the world even during a match his criticized his own preparation so la you are play FIFA till 3:00 a.m. when youday but how did a player with so much raw skill become this tennis Nomad that cruises through professional tennis by barely even training well for that we need to take a deeper look into his prodigal background Nick Herald's from cber Australia his parents come from Greek and Malaysian backgrounds unexpectedly Nick actually grew up playing basketball regularly and became infatuated with the Boston Celtics even to this day he cites his love for basketball and that tennis is more of a job for him but given his short and stubby stature Nick's mom pushed him into tennis where his natural talent in the sport flourished he played in the Under 12 national championships at the age of 10 he let go of his passion for basketball as the Australian Institute of Sports provided him a full scholarship at their Tennis Academy Nick was actually overweight and asmatic Nick even recalls being the worst physical sort of specimen he remembers they did a number of physical tests such as speed jump change directions and he was horrible at it yeah I was I was a big boy did you just call our guest ugly not say that he had poundage he would even fake stomachaches to avoid the embarrassment the academy really changed Nick's mindset coaches targeted him saying if he could not even do these basic physical tests he shouldn't try to become a tennis player and and this notion stuck with him as a junior and spurned him onto winning and winning was what he was really good at he might not have been physically Adept but he made this up in playing high-risk tennis developing a very aggressive game style with the emphasis on ending points quickly this is what underpins Nick's game today Nick shot up to 6'4 when he hit 16 which coincided with a complete physical transformation which dramatically improved his serve as well as his athleticism he also had this chip on his shoulder to become a professional tennis player to to prove his coach is wrong and when Nick shocked the World by beating Nadal at Wimbledon at 19 the world took watch and pundits started to label Nick as the next big star but what makes someone truly talented in tennis is it the number of titles they've won the records they've broken or could it be something deeper something that can't be measured in statistics alone Talent is not taught and unfortunately for Nick his rise to tenis stardom meant the media put a weight of expectations on him that he was not ready for he actually he actually asked me a question you said what I think it's his question mate is it his question but it's his question Nick had the talent physically and technically to beat the best but he had yet to mature and develop the mentality to be disciplined off the court his lack of preparation for matches were apparent and when things got tough in matches Nick's resilience wavered the talent tag can sometimes be a curse for a player they form a mindset that they are talented enough to win and not have to prepare or work as hard but this also gives them an easy way out in matches I'm not dedicated to the game at all there are players out there that are more dedicated they want to get better that strive to get better every day the 1centers I'm not that guy and as almost a self-fulfilling prophecy Nick's words took the form in the actions on court nonchalantly not returning shots and even got to the point where he did things like this things went more sour for Nick and the way he was being portrayed by the media would heighten this bad boy image Nick holds the record in fines I don't want to play anymore that's please don't use the bad words which really underpins his lack of sportsmanship but also his mental psyche when it came to tennis but Talent isn't just about winning it's about potential and Nick has that in abundance he's beaten every member of The Big Three Novak jovic Roger federa and Raphael Nadal and he did it all before turning 5 in fact he's one of the few players to hold a winning head-to-head record against jokovic although he has reached a career high of 13 in 2016 I think 2022 was the year where Nick has had his best preparation and was very close to rewriting his narrative at the start of the 2022 season Nick Kos teamed up with fellow Aussie and close friend the nari kokinakis both are primarily singles players and rarely play doubles but they saw this as a great way to sharpen their skills ahead of their singles campaigns surprisingly they knocked out the number one doubles team in the world and went on a dream run becoming the first Australian pair to win the Australian Open doubles title since 1997 this victory was a testament to kio's Raw Talent especially when he's in a team environment with less pressure winning that doubles title was a huge relief for him he was now a slam Champion even if it was in doubles this Victory kickstarted his season with a newfound confidence Nick went deep in his his next three tournaments showing impressive form he pushed Raphael Nadal to the limit in the quarterfinals at Indian Wales narrowly losing in a tight match he reached the fourth round in Miami where he lost to Yanik Sina and made it to the semi-finals in Houston where he fell to the big serving American Riley appela entering the grasscourt season Kiros was in excellent form he reached two more semifinals losing to Andy Murray in stutgart Murray who has a fantastic record against him and then to Hubert herat in Haler but the highlight of his season was his incredible run to the final at Wimbledon it was a Showcase of what happens when Once in a generation Talent meets sustained preparation discipline and focus likely for the first time in his career Nick showed more grit at Wimbledon than in any grand slam of years past battling through two grueling five- set matches to reach the final there he faced the best player on the planet Novak jovic Kos started strong winning the first set and for a moment it looked like he might pull off a miracle but as Novak always does he stayed composed his return game neutralizing Nick's powerful serve Nick lost the final but for a few hours the world saw just how close he was to winning it the guy who barely trains and doesn't have a coach for a moment the critics were silenced and the labels of wasted talent and unfulfilled potential seemed almost irrelevant but it wasn't meant to be still that run proved that on his day curious can beat anyone he went on to win the title in Washington and made the quarterfinals of the US Open this was the season that truly marked why Nick is a generational talent but then disaster [Music] struck and remember when I told you Nick had two years off tennis before dismantling Casper Roode at the end of 2022 his body started to show signs of wear first it was his knee then his ankle followed by his wrist and unfortunately his knee again he finally had that that year of success but his body just wasn't ready for it even though he had a much better preseason and looked in great shape the greats like Novak Roger and Rafa have been doing this every season for years unfortunately for Nick those years of wear and tear caught up with him he underwent knee and wrist surgery and spent a significant amount of time rehabbing I hope we get to see him back on the fought in late 2024 and I'm looking forward to seeing a healthy Nick not as a commentator but as a real Contender Nick is still under 30 and off the court he seems to have really put in the work to match his potential he's opened up about his mental health battles and I think this has done wonders for him removing the heavy expectations on his talent focusing on his well-being and not caring as much about the media I feel like we have a bit of a good relationship now um and I'm honored to to go out there and battle with the best he's still a character on the court and that's something we probably never want him to lose he's still got time and if he can put together another run like he did at Wimbledon he might just win that elusive Grand Slam that would completely change the narrative around his so-called wasted potential and talent and the world might finally see him in a different light for a guy who trains just 15 minutes a day Nick might be the most naturally talented player we've ever seen what do you think is curios the most talented player ever or does someone else hold that title let me know in the comments below thanks for watching and don't forget to like And subscribe if you enjoyed the content