Tennis’ own Nick Kyrgios served as inspiration for Challengers star Josh O’Connor’s character portrayal. However, O’Connor’s admiration for the sensational Australian tennis player goes well beyond the screen; their bond is based on sincere enthusiasm and a mutual love of the game. O’Connor’s recent revelations about his journey as a Kyrgios fan reveal more than what initially meets the eye.

The challenges cast recently in a conversation with Tracy Austin, alongside co-stars Zendaya and Mike Faist, reveal a lot of intriguing tennis facts connected to their lives. Subsequently, O’Connor’s also talked about his love for liking the ‘good trouble.’

Josh O’Connor’s admission to Nick Kyrgios

While there are a lot of tennis fans who are against his aggressive behavior, the British actor enjoys witnessing that fire on the court. He stated, “I grew up with soccer as my main sport, or football as we call it in the UK, and there’s a certain character that would often prop up. There’s players like Eric Cantona, at times like players like Roy Keane; real characters who are sometimes behaved badly, but sometimes but they’re also very talented.”

In addition, he made it apparent that he had grown up observing athletes who had displayed unacceptable conduct but were also highly skilled players. He also mentioned how much he liked to watch the 28-year-old Australian player on court alongside his father, who was an avid follower of “superbrat” John McEnroe.

“I think Kyrgios has that there’s a sort of, you know, for me growing up, and I did watch tennis growing up through my dad watched a lot of tennis,” O’Connor remarked. Even though he openly admired him from the very beginning, his love for the former Wimbledon finalist began when he started shooting for the movie itself, as he wanted an inspiration for his character.

In the same conversation, he also emphasized how they were little things that he took from Kyrgios’ personality, more than tennis. He added, “It was the in-between, when he’s sitting down and resting. He’ll do very provocative things that I’d find both terrible and endearing.” On the other hand, the 28-year-old tennis star is ready to make a strong comeback once again.

Kyrgios is ready to rekindle his tennis career

Following a series of injuries necessitating operations on his wrist and knee, Kyrgios returns to the tennis court with optimism rather than a set timeline. In retrospect, the Aussie said of his difficulties, “It’s arguably been one of the hardest years of my life, tennis-wise.”

Kyrgios’ last competitive match took place in June 2023 at Stuttgart against Wu Yibing of China. This match marked a significant hiatus in his professional career as he worked through the difficulties of rehabilitation and resurgence. He added, “I’ve had some really hard conversations with myself if I want to keep doing this. So I know there’s still fire in the belly, which is good; it’s healthy.” 

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts about Kyrgios being an inspiration? Do let us know in the comment section below.