By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 18, 2022
In this pandemic-polarized era of deep division, hope for ultimate unity and healing for humanity comes courtesy of Nick Kyrgios.
More: Gritty Murray Earns First AO Win Since 2017
Setting aside his long-running feud with sparring partner Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios continues to show support for the world No. 1, who was deported from Australia on Sunday after his visa was cancelled for a second time.
After his Australian Open opening-round sweep of British qualifier Liam Broady, Kyrgios continued his budding "bromance" with nine-time AO champion Djokovic saying he will ask the Serbian superstar to join forces in doubles.
This comes after Kyrgios expressed his support for the 20-time Grand Slam champion during his controversial four-day detention at a Melbourne hotel.
"Obviously me and Novak have had some, I guess, differences in the past," Kyrgios told the media in Melbourne. "But, I mean, whether it was Novak or someone else, I would have done the same thing.
"I didn't do it because he was Serbian. If it was another player in that scenario, I would have stood up for what I think was right. I think it was just coincidentally it was Novak, and, you know, it was quite a story.
"But yeah, we got a bit of a bromance going on now. Not that I'm complaining. I think I'm going to ask him to play doubles somewhere."
Kyrgios' offer to partner Djokovic in a dream doubles team of Djoker and Trickster comes a year and a day after the Aussie said the world No. 1 "will never" be the Greatest of All Time in his mind.
Why did Kyrgios discount Djokovic in the GOAT debate?
Because Djokovic is winless in two career clashes vs. Kyrgios.
"No matter how many Grand Slams he wins, like he will never be the greatest to me," Kyrgios told Melbourne Herald Sun last January. "Simply because I've played him twice and, I'm sorry, but if you can't beat me, you're not the greatest of all time."
It's not the first time Kyrgios has derided Djokovic in the GOAT debate.
In June of 2019, Kyrgios gave a rare, even-more-candid-than-usual interview to Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times for Rothenberg’s tennis podcast, “No Challenges Remaining,” and the Aussie did not hesitate to speak his mind about the game’s top players.
The explosive Aussie has also branded the Wimbledon winner "a tool" for his response to the Coronavirus, called Djokovic's heart-sharing post-match celebration "cringeworthy" and has vowed to perform the celebration in front of the Serbian should he win their next meeting.
“No matter how many Grand Slam wins he will never be the greatest for me," Kyrgios said back in 2019. "Simply because I’ve played him twice and I’m sorry but if you can’t beat me you’re not the greatest of all-time.
“He always says what he feels like he needs to say, never speaks his opinion—I don’t know. If I play him and I beat him—I’m doing his celebration in front of him. That would be hilarious, right?”
Since then, Kyrgios has conceded Djokovic, who shares the men's major mark with rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, has earned his GOAT-worthy status and is a true champion.
Now, Kyrgios' offer to double up with the world No. 1 he has slagged off in the past could give us the most unlikely doubles pairing since Rafa Nadal partnered Bernard Tomic.
Who knows?
A Djokovic-Kyrgios doubles pairing in Dubai or elsewhere could inspire other legendary long-time feuders and sometime antogonists like Connors-McEnroe, Agassi-Becker, Tipsarevic-Stepanek, Medvedev-Tsitsipas, Rios and the rest of the Top 10 and Cain and Abel to set aside differences and unit in true doubles diplomacy.
Probably not, but we can always dream, right?