"I don't know if I can call it a bromance yet" - Djokovic plays down Kyrgios friendship

Novak Djokovic has played down a "bromance" with Wimbledon's final opponent Nick Kyrgios but accepts the pair have a better relationship now than ever before.

Kyrgios made headlines during the ill-fated Adria Tour amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 when he slammed the Serb as “boneheaded” and called him a “tool” last year when Djokovic wrote to Australian Open organisers asking for the easing of quarantine conditions.

But Kyrgios was vocal in his support for the reigning Wimbledon champion back in January, saying he was embarrassed by the treatment of Djokovic, who was detained by local authorities, released and then detained again before being deported ahead of the Australia Open. Kyrgios called their new relationship sort of a bromance but Djokovic toned it down:

“I don’t know if I can call it a bromance yet, but we definitely have a better relationship than what it was probably prior to January this year. When it was really tough for me in Australia, he was one of the very few players that came out publicly and supported me and stood by me. That’s something I truly appreciate. So I respect him for that a lot.”