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3 Dec, 2021 15:30

‘I’m better than you’: Kyrgios reveals frustration at playing with Serena Williams

‘I’m better than you’: Kyrgios reveals frustration at playing with Serena Williams

Tennis motor mouth Nick Kyrgios has spoken on playing with Serena Williams, branding it an "uncomfortable experience" and saying he is better than the women's GOAT candidate.

The Aussie made his comments on his No Boundaries podcast, where he recalled playing doubles alongside the 23-time women's Grand Slam winner in 2014 at the International Premier Tennis League.

"I’ve hit with Serena before," Kyrgios began.

"I played mixed doubles with her at IPTL and it was the most uncomfortable experience for me because she was trying to do everything.

"And I was like ‘I’m better than you’," he said, to wild laughter from his three stooges.

"There are some sports where the levels [between men and women] are quite similar.

"But deep down I was like ‘Serena you have to get me involved here, we’re getting snipped, give me the ball!’" Kyrgios continued.

The outspoken bad boy previously had kinder things to say about Serena's sister Venus, however, who he teamed up with at Wimbledon in the summer.

Dubbing her a "legend", he described playing alongside the 41-year-old as "a dream come true for me" which unfortunately came to an end after just one match when Kyrgios picked up an injury in the men's singles of the SW19 tournament.

Popping up in the comments of his Instagram post that shared some of the podcast's content, some onlookers accused Kyrgios of being disrespectful, "considering how both Venus and Serena have said nice things about you in the past".

"Could have been a bit classier," he was told.

"It’s a bit of banter…," Kyrgios replied. "I have nothing but respect for the Williams sisters. They are some of the best players to ever wield a racket."

Also on the same episode, Kyrgios spoke of how he is happy with his lot despite being widely viewed as an underachiever.

"Every single day of my life I deal with people telling me how to be or how to train or how to hit a forehand," he began.

"I feel that as a 26-year-old I am in a pretty good spot, I help a lot of people, I have a lot of options, I’m healthy, I’ve got great friends and those are my goals right now.

"When I was young I wasn’t thinking about winning Grand Slams, I just wanted to have fun."

"I love the game but I'm not passionate or driven as they are," Kyrgios admitted, in comparison to some of his contemporaries.

"They're like once in a generation, once in a decade athletes."

"There's no chance that [Roger] Federer or [Rafael] Nadal or Novak or [Andy] Murray doesn't love it. If you watch Murray's documentary, he's having phone calls in the middle of the night at 3am to his team saying, 'I'm scared to not play, like I don't know what I'm going to do without the sport.' That's not me.

"You have to pick what you want. Do you want fun or more titles? You can have a little balance but I have picked my poison. I am happy," he insisted.

"I just say it’s my life," Kyrgios explained, when others push him on why he hasn't achieved more.

"It’s so easy to tell people what to do… you can’t tell people how to live their life."

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