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Nick Kyrgios funnily revealed he once thought Daniil Medvedev was "a terrible junior" who should just quit tennis because there was no hope for him to make it in pro tennis.
Kyrgios, 28, and 27-year-old Medvedev are pretty much of the same generation and they competed against each other even before turning pro. Kyrgios, who is working as an analyst for Eurosport during this year's Australian Open, revealed he once crushed Medvedev as a junior.
After playing Medvedev for the first time and routinely beating him, Kyrgios thought of the Russian's technique as "the worst I have ever seen." Also, Kyrgios thought Medvedev's chances of becoming a successful pro tennis player were slim to none.
But today, Medvedev is a Grand Slam champion and has been ranked at No. 1 in the world.
Kyrgios: Medvedev went from a terrible junior to a Grand Slam champion
“One guy for me that I thought was going to be horrific was Medvedev," Kyrgios said on Eurosport.
“I played him in juniors at Roehampton (in England) and I beat him like 6-3 6-3. I was like the dominant junior and this guy was just terrible.
“He had the worst technique I’ve ever seen. I honestly said this guy should just give it up. There is no way he is going to make it with all these things.
“Then the guy becomes No 1 in the world and a Grand Slam champion. It’s so funny. He was crazy as well."
Meanwhile, Kyrgios and Medvedev have played against each other five times. Although Medvedev has been one of the best players in the game, Kyrgios has had lots of success against the Russian, winning four of their five meetings.
After beating Medvedev in Rome and Washington in 2019, Kyrgios was beaten by the Russian at the 2022 Australian Open. In the remainder of the 2022 season, Kyrgios and Medvedev met two more times, with the Australian winning both of their meetings at the US Open and Montreal Masters.
Sadly, Kyrgios has played just one tournament since the 2022 US Open due to knee and wrist injuries.