“I hated and despised him” Nick Kyrgios opens up about his on-court relationship with Rafael Nadal
Nick Kyrgios confessed that he always despised and hated former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal during the Spaniard's playing days.
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Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal (via MSN)
Nick Kyrgios remains one of the most fearless players on Tour with a reputation for being very outspoken both on and off the court. Following Rafael Nadal‘s retirement weeks ago, the Australian star opened up about his on-court relationship with the former World No. 1.
Nadal officially ended his professional career at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. The Spaniard’s final match ended in a straight sets loss against the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp. That ultimately led to Spain crashing out in the quarterfinals.
Nadal’s achievement on the court has made him one of the greatest players in the sport. Ten years ago, Kyrgios made a name for himself by defeating Nadal in the Round of 16 of the Wimbledon Championship as a teenager wildcarder.
Four set triumphs led to the rivalry between the two players. Nevertheless, Nadal led in the head-to-head 6-3 but Kyrgios defeated the Spaniard to reach his maiden Grand Slam final at the 2022 Wimbledon final.
In a recent conversation with a host of retired stars Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Steve Johnson in the Nothing Major podcast, Kyrgios admitted that he hated and despised Nadal during the Spaniard’s playing days.
Couldn’t stand him. I used to hate and despise him so much when I saw him walking around. When I played Rafa, I don’t know. I guess because everyone in my academies back home idolized him. They were like, ‘He’s such a hard worker. He’s this, he’s that.’ And I was like, ‘I can’t stand this guy. I can’t stand him.’ I wanted to show people that you could just be chilled and have fun and beat someone like that.
Nick Kyrgios said via Nothing Major podcast
Kyrgios has already revealed that he will be back on the Brisbane International after 18 months away from the court. On Monday (December 16), he confirmed that he is going to play alongside Novak Djokovic in the doubles of the tournament. The ATP 250 is set to kick off on December 29.
Nick Kyrgios felt emotional during Rafael Nadal’s farewell ceremony at the Davis Cup Finals
The tennis world witnessed Rafael Nadal’s retirement ceremony at the Davis Cup Finals after he finally hung his racket after 23 years of professional tennis. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Serena Williams teamed up to give an emotional farewell tribute to Nadal, which was played on the court screen.
Nick Kyrgios said during the aforementioned discussion that he felt emotional while watching Nadal’s farewell. The Aussie narrated that Nadal was one of the players who motivated him to play his best tennis.
I got emotional about it. Weirdly emotional about it. It’s so weird seeing these guys go. He was probably one guy that always motivated me. I was like, if I played him, I’d try and get up for it. I’d try and get the best tennis I could possibly play. But I didn’t feel that anger towards Federer or Novak when I played them.
Nick Kyrgios said
Kyrgios will also feature at the 2025 Australian Open. The former World No. 13 is looking forward to using Brisbane International as a warm-up tournament ahead of the Grand Slam event, which starts on January 12.
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Victor Okechukwu
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