‘The Golden Era’ of tennis – an era marked by the emergence of the greatest players of all time. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic dominated the courts and mesmerized everyone. However, like all good things, it had to come to an end. With Federer and Nadal retired and Novak at the fag end of his career, the sun has set on this golden period. But looks like someone is reminiscing those good ‘ol days.! Nick Kyrgios, who had the privilege to play ‘the big three,’ is taking a trip down memory lane.

The Aussie tennis player and the Swiss had a lopsided head-to-head record, with Federer winning 6 of their 7 encounters. Despite that, the 29-year-old had always had immense respect for Roger Federer.

On 30 January 2025, Nick Kyrgios took to his Instagram story to reshare a clip of him playing against the 20-time, Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer. He captioned this throwback, “This era of tennis was undefeated😭 y’all are haters if you disagree- was interesting at least.”

In 2023, Kyrgios gave his opinion on the GOAT debate. Who did he pick? On the JBK Show, the Australian tennis star said, “Rafa and Novak they kind of let you work into the match. A little bit more with you. With your ground strikes. But Federer can make you feel purely like sh*t. He makes the court feel so small like I can’t feel like I can’t make a ball. And the way he is walking around, you’re never a favorite against him. Wherever you are, Australia, or overseas, I played him in Miami. He’s the hometown favorite everywhere you go, and that’s so f****ng annoying.”

In 2022, Roger Federer officially said his final goodbye to tennis at the Laver Cup. Meanwhile, Kyrgios also took a sabbatical in 2023 owing to a career-threatening wrist injury.  He has returned to the court after almost 18 months in the 2025 season.

Even though Kyrgios has always showered praises on Federer, there is one thing the Aussie star thinks he is better at. What is that you ask?

Nick Kyrgios claims to be better than Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic in one aspect

Nick Kyrgios is one of the few tennis players to boast a victory against ‘the big three’. This accomplishment places him alongside Lleyton Hewitt as the only players to have won their initial encounters against all three legends. Kyrgios actually holds an astonishing  2-1 record against Djokovic and a 3-6 record against Nadal.

On the Let’s Trot podcast last December, the former Wimbledon finalist said, “I have played against Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray. I have a higher tennis IQ than them. I don’t know if anyone in the history of tennis has reached the Wimbledon final without a coach. So, when it comes to IQ, I would choose myself.”

The outspoken Aussie had a bright career that was derailed by injuries. Even as he has stepped onto the courts in 2025, he is not enjoying the same success he had 2 years ago. The 29-year-old suffered first-round exits at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open.

He also exited from the Davis Cup qualifiers owing to an abdominal injury he sustained at the Australian Open. The former World No.13 will next be seen at the Indian Wells tournament in March.

Can Kyrgios overcome his injuries and reclaim his spot among the top players? Let us know in the comments below.