Novak Djokovic Calls Nick Kyrgios to Practice at Wimbledon

Nick Kyrgios will help Novak Djokovic prepare for his second-round match at Wimbledon.

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios will practice at Wimbledon. / Peter van den Berg

It has been roughly a year since Nick Kyrgios competed on the tennis court. Since undergoing surgery for a torn ligament in his wrist in June 2023, fans have not seen much of the controversial player.

However, Kyrgios is coming to the aid of Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. Kyrgios shared on X (formerly Twitter), "Hitting with Novak tomorrow on his day off... feel like a little kid again…. Feeling excited. Long way back from this surgery!"

Kyrgios shared the news on social media after Djokovic secured a straight-sets win over Vit Kopriva in the first round of Wimbledon earlier today.

Hitting with Novak tomorrow on his day off 🫢🫣 feel like a little kid again…. Feeling excited. Long way back from this surgery!

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) July 2, 2024

Afterward, Djokovic gave a massive shout-out to Kyrgios who was commentating on the match for ESPN.

Djokovic said, "I think Nick Kyrgios is in the commentary box... He's been struggling a lot with injuries. Talking about major injuries, he's had a few. I've been very fortunate to not be away from tennis for long.

"As an athlete, I empathize with Nick and anyone who's struggling. You almost feel helpless at times that something isn't allowing you to come back to what you love most, and you're unable to do your profession for years."

Novak Djokovic spoke about Kyrgios and athletes who are struggling with injuries after his win over Kopriva at Wimbledon:

“I’ve been fortunate comparing myself to other 37 year olds. I had injuries like anybody else but they come and go. It’s part of what you do. You just have… pic.twitter.com/5owuRVGfmB

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 2, 2024

The two have a friendship and mutual admiration that dates back many years. In fact, Djokovic defeated Kyrgios in the 2022 Wimbledon Finals to claim his seventh title at the iconic Grand Slam.

Of course, Djokovic is working his way back from surgery last month to repair a torn right meniscus he suffered at Roland Garros. Today's match was Djokovic's first action since injuring his knee.

Djokovic faces Jacob Fearnley on Thursday, July 4. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

Further Reading: Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev disagree on the length of Grand Slam tennis matches.