Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are no fun: Marcelo Rios says he prefers messy players such as Nick Kyrgios and Fabio Fognini over the tennis legends

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic may have world-class tennis skills, but as per former Chilean tennis player Marcelo, the duo’s personalities are no fun.

Marcelo Rios, who held the World No. 1 ranking in 1998, recently participated in an exhibition match in Chile against former colleague and rival Alex Corretja. During an interview at the event, the 1998 Australian Open finalist gave his honest opinion about Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Rios suggested that he preferred watching mercurial players such as Fabio Fognini instead of the Swiss Maestro, who is “not funny” according to the former player.

"More fun to watch Fognini. For me, Federer is not a player you see and say 'what fun',” Rios said, as per La Gazetta dello sport. “Fognini, absolutely. They are players that you see and wait for them to make a fuss, to make a mess. They are funny, not Federer.”

He expressed similar views about Novak Djokovic and called the two legends "boring on the pitch," reiterating that Fabio Fognini is "definitely more fun than them."

“The same goes for Djokovic, I don't find him funny either," Marcelo Rios said.

The Chilean tennis player further commented on the current status of tennis and opined that, unlike tennis of his time, the sport today lacked the thrill until controversial players such as Nick Kyrgios graced the court.

“It's become boring, it's like watching cricket, it's not like in my day. Until a Kyrgios comes out and he revolutionizes everything, but now more and more rarely,” the former World No. 1 said.

"I never made it because there was either Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic" – Juan Martin del Potro on the World No. 1 ranking eluding him

Despite his dislike of the personalities of tennis legends such as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Marcelo Rios has never denied their extraordinary tennis prowess.

The former Chilean player did not win a single Grand Slam. Nevertheless, he was able to reach the World No. 1 ranking in 1998, which wouldn't have been as easy had he been part of the era of the Big Three.

To add credence to this view, fellow South American tennis player and 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro recently shared his agony about not being able to claim the World No. 1 spot, owing to the dominance of the Big Three.

“The only thing I lacked was being No. 1. It was always a dream and I always worked for it… but I was proud of my career and I never made it because there was either Federer, or Nadal or Djokovic,” the former Argentinian player said recently.

However, upon further reflection, Juan Martin del Potro, who had a career-high ranking of World No. 3, noted that he has no regrets about being bested by the three -- who are considered the greatest tennis players of all time.

“When I look at the rankings and the years of my career and who was fighting to be No. 1, I see that it was beautiful that these were the ones who didn't let me make it,” he said.