Federer impressed by Kyrgios
Roger Federer, who will line up against Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals at Indian Wells on Friday, expressed his admiration for his Australian opponent ahead of the match.
Indian Wells, CA, USA, 17 March 2017 | Matt Trollope
Roger Federer knows he’s in for a tough battle when he faces Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Friday.
Federer lost his one and only meeting with Kyrgios in the second round of the Madrid Masters in 2015 and is coming up against an opponent who has beaten Novak Djokovic twice in as many weeks.
“I’m looking forward to it. He’s a great player, he played great again today (against Djokovic). He played good against Zverev, as well. He had a good Acapulco,” Federer said.
“I’m very impressed him taking out Novak, back-to-back weeks, on Novak’s best surface. I hope it’s going to lead to something great for Nick that he realises if he puts his head down and focuses that he can bring it day in and day out, week in and week out.”
Federer was asked if there were any similarities in both his and Kyrgios’s “freakish” natural talents, both of which have been widely lauded in the game.
“I don’t know. That’s really up to others to judge,” the 18-time major winner said.
“(But) I think both our games need a bit more time (to develop), especially on the mental side and on the physical side.
“Just bringing it day to day, everyday practice, all that stuff doesn’t come as natural for maybe Nick and myself than for the others.
“I feel like Nick and me, we have a lot of options, so it’s hard for us to always pick the right one, and maybe there are some similarities more than anywhere.”