“Nick Kyrgios is good for tennis” Rafael Nadal praises the Australian for his Indian Wells run and speaks about their relationship
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Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal
World No. 4 Rafael Nadal is one win away from becoming only the second man in tennis to start a season with 20 consecutive wins. The 35-year old has displayed some amazing grit and determination to bounce back from situations of almost defeat on multiple occasions in his 19-match winning streak so far and despite fitness struggles, he is still dominant.
Nadal made his way to his 4th consecutive semi-final of the season as he defeated Nick Kyrgios in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters. In a match that last for nearly 3 hours, Nadal won a thrilling 3-setter claiming a 7-6(0), 5-7, 6-4 win over the Australian in one of the best matches of the tournament.
With Nick and Rafa having played some intense matches prior to this that saw the two players develop strong opinions against each other, Nadal cleared the air about his relationship with Kyrgios revealing that he in fact likes the 2022 Australian Open Doubles champion and respects his character in general.
”I think Nick had a great attitude throughout the match, he was combative. He has his personality, his character. Sometimes he does things I don’t like, but I respect everyone’s character, differences of opinion and upbringing. He fought until the end and he produced great tennis.
“It’s the Nick Kyrgios that I want to see and that, no doubt, people want to see too. Because it’s good for tennis. People may think that we hate each other because of what happened, but that’s not true at all. In a way, I like him as a character,” said Nadal in the press conference after booking his place in the semi-finals.
Rafael Nadal to take on the ‘right-handed Nadal’ in the semis
On the lookout for his 4th title of the season, Nadal will now be up against compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. The 18-year old defeated defending champion Cameron Norrie in straight-sets to maintain his streak of not dropping a set so far this week in the Masters event where he has become the second-youngest semi-finalist in the tournament.
With Alcaraz already being dubbed the successor of Rafa, it will be a thrilling battle between the two Spaniards who are separated by an age difference of 17 years with Alcaraz just 2 years old when Nadal won his first Grand Slam title, the 2005 French Open.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)