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Live sport on SN this weekendKyrgios "the only player" to have rattled Djoker like this
Emily Benammar • January 16th, 2026 3:45 pm
Nick Kyrgios remains the only player to have “discombobulated” Novak Djokovic, according to the 24-time slam champions' former analyst.
The 30-year-old will not contend the Australian Open singles tournament this year as he continues he recovery from numerous injuries, and while he has not played a full season since 2022, his talent remains one of the biggest talking points of the ATP tour.
Kyrgios, who has undergone a full wrist reconstruction and numerous knee surgeries in recent years, is often touted as “the Aussie that never reached his potential”. But whether you sit on the side of loving or loathing him, you would be hard pushed to find many on the tour that deny him being a threat.
Renowned coach and strategist Craig O'Shannessy, who worked on team Djokovic between 2017 and 2019, said the Aussie super star’s talent was evident very early on and that he remains one of the greatest challenges to the Serbian’s game.
“I saw him at 18 and I’d never seen him hit a ball,” O'Shannessy told SEN Breakfast.
“I watched him play Nadal (and) to see what he can do and his weapons; Nick’s talent was so obvious, it took five minutes to see it.
“From a talent perspective he was incredible; he beat Novak twice when I worked with him.
I remember Novak saying to me ‘video and analyse his serve … everyone has a tell’. There has to be a tell with Nick because I can't read his serve’.
I remember Novak saying to me ‘video and analyse his serve … everyone has a tell’. There has to be a tell with Nick because I can't read his serve’.
“It was one of the only times I’ve seen Novak guess about his opponent, he was so discombobulated by Nick’s serve.
“The end result was, there is no tell which is what makes Nick great.
“If you ask Novak now who was the greatest serve he faced – he will say Nick. Not because of speed but because he had no idea what was coming.”
In recent years, Kyrgios and Djokovic have become allies.
The Aussie supported the current world No 4 during the Covid-19 deportation saga which dominated the 2022 Australian Open and they have been openly complimentary about one another ever since.
The pair went head-to-head for the Wimbledon title in 2022 which was Kyrgios’ first grand slam final. And while it ended in Djokovic’s favour many felt it was the turning point in the Aussie’s career.
He followed it up with a US Open quarter-final appearance but, owing to the aforementioned injuries, has only managed a handful of tournaments since.
So why is it Kyrgios has not reached the heights of becoming a grand slam champion?
“It’s the mental side of the game and handling adversity, handling the grind and the travel,” O'Shannessy continued.
“Some things came very easy to Nick and some things didn’t.
“We can’t all judge ourselves on what the prototype is, there are players outside the box like Nick.”
