‘I think he’s the greatest of all time,’ Nick Kyrgios shows massive respect towards Rafael Nadal, says he hasn’t done even 1/40th of what Rafa has achieved
Follow Us
Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal
Australian showman Nick Kyrgios played some of his best tennis in recent times but still came up short against one of the greatest players of all time- Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard defeated Nadal in the quarterfinal of the Indian Wells Masters in three tight sets 7-6(0),5-7,6-4. Despite the result, the Australian has a lot of positives to take back. This was his first Masters quarterfinal appearance in almost 5 years and in getting there, he defeated some big names throughout the week.
In the post-match press conference, Kyrgios spoke about his relationship with Nadal. The two have shared some heated moments on the court in the past and Nadal is also Kyrgios’ biggest rival on the court in terms of number of matches played.
The Aussie said that he feels that they both respect each other and also termed him as the greatest of all time. He added that the rivalry is good for tennis but also doubted whether he really is a rival to Nadal or not- given the number of accolades he’s achieved.
“I feel like we respect each other. I think he’s the greatest of all time. I’ve had a couple of comments, and he’s had a couple comments back. It’s good for the sport, that rivalry. Like, I’m Nick Kyrgios and I’m a rival to Rafael Nadal. How? Like how is that possible? I think it’s exciting for the sport, do you know what I mean?” he said.
He went on to say that he hasn’t achieved even 1/40th of what Rafa has done. “That’s what people should be talking about. And my career’s 1/40th of what he’s done and we’re rivals because of that little back and forth that was nothing,” he said.
‘Episode 10 coming soon’: Nick Kyrgios
After the match, Kyrgios took to Twitter to appreciate Nadal. He admitted that Rafa was too good for him today and said that their 10th meeting will come soon. “Too good @RafaelNadal Episode 10 coming soon……” he wrote. This was the 9th meeting between Nadal and Kyrgios. The Spaniard currently leads the H2H 6-3.
Kyrgios will now head to Miami for the Miami Masters. He will then play a solo clay-court tournament in Houston and skip the rest of the clay-court season. After a two-month break, he will have a packed grass-court season with as many as three tournaments lined up in the lead up to Wimbledon.
Stay Updated!
Lakshya Chopra
(2650 Articles Published)