The fiery Aussie kept the viewers wildly entertained as he sipped a red beverage and chatted up the three-time major champ. Tennis fans have long argued for Andy Murray‘s inclusion in the Big Four (and for the use of the term Big Four instead of Big Three), while others are of a different mind. They celebrate the Big Three (a trio of men that have each won at least 17 major singles titles) and argue that Murray, while incredible in his own right, doesn’t deserve mention among the deities that reside at the top of the men’s tennis food chain.

Then there is Nick Kyrgios, who is quick to laud the Scot as the best of all of them.

“Muzz is, he’s better than the big three,” Kyrgios said during an Instagram Live session with Murray. “And Twitter is gonna be like, ‘oh, that Nick Kyrgios, Kyrgios says that Murray is better than the Big three.’ I believe it. I actually believe it. … Well you’re definitely better than Djokovic, that’s for sure.”

Nick Kyrgios went fishing today pic.twitter.com/FvZB5LUE2G

— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) May 16, 2020

Kyrgios clearly had a blast with his old buddy Andy, and Murray played along brilliantly (even though he was at a loss for words at times), sometimes wearing a stoned-face look of a confused parent and other times letting his guard down and simply cracking up. Kyrgios, sipping red wine as he reeled off jokes and indulged in his favorite pastime of taking cracks at Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, was at his self-deprecating best when he described the time that Murray only allowed him four games in a match in Montreal (their first meeting, in 2014, if you are scoring at home).

“I literally felt like I didn’t know what tennis was that day,” Kyrgios said of the 6-2 6-2 thumping he took, which wasn't long after he had engineered a massive upset of Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in the round of 16. “I wanted to walk off after like four games.”

Kyrgios went on to throw a not-so-subtle jab at the great Nadal. “I played him pretty convincingly at Wimby,” Kyrgios says, after taking a sip of wine. “So I thought I’d have a chance.

Watch the full interaction below, in which Kyrgios contines to make the point that Murray is better than Djokovic, below:

Nick Kyrgios – who has had a few red wines – has reiterated his belief that Andy Murray is a better tennis player than Novak Djokovic and says on the first time they played each other: ‘you returned my serve, which Rafa couldn’t… I knew I was in trouble.’ pic.twitter.com/Fbe2D9cIRh

— George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) May 16, 2020

The Croatian superstar says that it would be a shame if the Aussie never wins a major.

Class of 2020 International Hall of Fame inductee Goran Ivanisevic spoke with Todd Woodbridge on the Australian Open’s YouTube page to talk about his quarantine and his Hall of Fame career. Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon champion and World No.2, also gave his thoughts on Aussie firebrand Nick Kyrgios.

And, as you might expect, those thoughts were rather interesting.

“He has some issues deep down,” Ivanisevic told Woodbridge, adding that he can relate to some of the things the Australian goes through emotionally on the court. “He is the worst for himself and I know how he feels. He is fighting with 100 people, sometimes he wants to prove something that is impossible to prove.”

Ivanisevic, like so many, is blown away with Kyrgios’ natural talent.

“But there is no sense to talk about his talent because he is one of the biggest talents,” he said. “He is the guy who can win grand slams. He can beat anybody any day. He is, for me, the best server in the game. He can do whatever with the ball.”

Ivanisevic says it will be a shame for tennis if Kyrgios doesn’t find a way to win a major title.

“He has his demons and he is getting better and better and he will honestly regret one day if he’s kind of not be able to change. Because the guy’s so talented, to not to win a grand slam would be a shame for tennis. Hopefully he can change and do it because I think he’s a great guy—he’s funny he has some good comments, some time a little crazy—deep down he’s a good guy and tennis needs Nick Kyrgios and Nick Kyrgios needs tennis.”

The American has strong views on several topics and he does not hesitate to share them. In an interview with Giri Nathan of Racquet Magazine, American Reilly Opelka opened fire with some critical remarks on the ATP Tour.

The 22-year-old World No.39 criticized the ATP, saying that they could not have handled the Coronavirus pandemic “much worse,” and expressing his belief that players have been “left in the dark” by the tour.

talked to Reilly Opelka about milkshake, tennis gambling, learning from Djokovic: https://t.co/j5UnVZu1S6

— giri (@girinathan) May 15, 2020

“I think they couldn’t have handled it much worse,” Opelka told Nathan. “We’re completely left in the dark, we don’t know what’s going on. And the execs haven’t taken pay cuts.”

Opelka also had harsh words for tennis’ relief fund aspirations, which have asked for contributions from the tour’s top 100 players to fund relief efforts for those that are lower-ranked.

It’s a policy that has already drawn criticism from Dominic Thiem, who strongly believes that he should not be required to donate to a specific cause. Guido Pella and Matteo Berrettini have also expressed similar sentiments; Opelka agrees with them.

“Players should never pay other players,” he said, adding: “I don’t think, as an ATP exec, you should be supportive of asking your players to pay for other players when you haven’t even taken a pay cut yourself, when us players have taken a 100% pay cut. That’s completely wrong. It’s actually shocking that it hasn’t been addressed more. The PGA execs took pay cuts right away, the WTA, the ITF, the USTA.”

2 months later and no pay cuts from ATP execs.. and not one ATP player has been paid since pre Indian Wells. 🤦‍♂️

— Reilly Opelka (@ReillyOpelka) May 11, 2020

The exact distrubtion of the ATP's player fund has yet to be announced, so it remains a topic of hot debate. And it isn't the only issue that Opelka has strong opinions on. 

Opelka also expressed his frustration with the copious fines he has received for drinking Red Bull on court and wearing sponsorship logos that are too large. He also feels that the tour should be more willing to embrace gambling sponsors and let the players benefit from such deals.

On the tennis side the American said he is currently working hard to improve his return by looking at the techniques of World No.1 and returning whiz Novak Djokovic.

“When returning, he has such good posture, he’s on balance, and that first step is critical,” Opelka told Nathan. “And he does it better than anyone.”

Offerings from Yonex, Wilson and Tecnifbre are here to tighten your game up. By — Sam Jones, May 14, 2020

Attention intermediate to advanced players: If you like to provide your own power on court, you will need an ultra-precise and stable racquet to help you maintain consistency and control. That means you might want a little extra weight on your frame, and utilize a denser (think 18×20 or at least 16 x 19) string pattern for more directional control. Here are three tip-top control racquets on the market right now.

To read more about control tennis racquets, visit Tennisexpress.com

Wilson Blade 98 v7 18×20

The Blade has become a surgical scalpel for an endless list of top level professionals and collegiate All-Americans. The flat 20.6 millimeter beam, 98 square inch head, and 18×20 string pattern help create one of the most consistent control racquets around, with plenty of plow through.

Wilson made the Blade more stable and comfortable with the advent of FeelFlex technology. The 18×20 string pattern offers increased control over the 16×19 version, but is a little less spin friendly. Another nice feature of the Blade is the relatively low 305 gram unstrung weight, which allows for players to customize their frames with weighted tape.

Yonex VCORE Pro 97HD

Yonex took a demanding frame, the VCORE Pro 97 and threw an 18×20 string pattern on it. This frame is for players with finely tuned mechanics who can generate near world-class racquet head speed. The 320g unstrung weight offers tons of stability against bigger hitters, but the old school balance of 7pts head light keeps it practical to whip around the court. Yonex added VDM (Vibration Dampening Mesh) inside the handle of the HD to filter out vibrations without losing a feel for the ball. Flatter ball strikers will love the consistency of the sweet spot and serve and volley players will appreciate the predictable flex on finesse shots. If you are a frequent string breaker that hits a lot of topspin, you will love the dense pattern because it will increase the string life.

Tecnifibre TF40 305

The TF40 is a softer feeling model than the popular T-Fight models. The ball seems to stay on the string bed longer due to the XTC material embedded throughout the frame, and the string pattern is further enhanced by a special grommet system that reduces shock at contact. The 18×20 string pattern and slim 21.7 millimeter beam offer sublime control in an extremely comfortable frame. The TF40 is surprisingly powerful for a control oriented model, and at only 305 grams unstrung it is an easy racquet to further customize for elite tournament play

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