Nick Kyrgios’ Question Leads Karolina Muchova to Pay Homage to Idol Roger Federer

Karolina Muchova paid special tribute to her idol Roger Federer after her victory over Naomi Osaka at the US Open. The Czech tennis player confirmed that she once admired the Swiss tennis icon and learned as much as possible from him.

On Thursday evening, last year’s US Open semi-finalist Muchova defeated former world number 1 Osaka 6-3 7-6 (5), which secured her a third-round match with Anastasia Potapova.

Although the Czech served well and found her place on the court, she also came to the net often and ultimately won 13 of 19 (68 percent) of her net points.

And after the 28-year-old sent Osaka home after just over an hour and a half of play, she was questioned by Nick Kyrgios. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist told Muchova about the “crazy net shots” she played and asked if Federer deserved any credit for it.

“Yeah, for sure. I watched him. I watched you… All the guys do that stuff and I really like it. So I try to incorporate that into my game. I just like playing like that. It’s fun and that’s why I play. I’m happy I was able to make some nice plays today,” Muchova told Kyrgios.

Karolina Muchova after defeating Naomi Osaka in the US Open

Kyrgios: “You hit some incredible volleys today. It was crazy. Then I found out your childhood idol was Roger Federer. Did you take anything from his game?”

Karolina: “Yes, for sure. I was watching him. I was watching you… all of you… photo: twitter.com/zzby9GxVDD

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 30, 2024

Muchova doesn’t want to set high expectations

After losing to Iga Świątek in a close final at the 2023 French Open, Muchova also reached her first US Open semi-final before losing to eventual champion Coco Gauff, a match that saw the former world number eight struggle with a wrist injury – the same issue that would later force her to undergo surgery and sideline her until June of this year.

But even though Muchova has a significant victory and has a favorable third-round match ahead of her, she doesn’t want to think too far ahead.

“It’s a long journey. It’s a year. I’m definitely in a different situation than last year. I don’t even want to compare myself to last year – it was a bit of a bumpy road. I had surgery and I didn’t know if I was going to play or not. I’m just really grateful that I’m here, that I can play, that I’m not in pain and that I have a chance to play in these matches,” Muchova explained.