Rafael Nadal (L) and Nick Kyrgios
Renowned tennis player Nick Kyrgios has expressed admiration for his rival Rafael Nadal, commending the positive influence the Spaniard has had on Kyrgios’ career and personal life, as Nadal prepares for his comeback.
Kyrgios and Nadal have been forced to watch other players compete on the tennis court from the sidelines because of their respective injuries. The Spaniard has played only two matches whereas the other has played just one in the entire 2023 season.
While the 22-time Grand Slam champion readies himself for the much-awaited return to action at the onset of the next season, Kyrgios has undertaken a different endeavor. The Australian can be seen offering insights into the details of the sport in partnership with Tennis Channel.
The 28-year-old weighed in on his rivalry with Nadal which has seen nine intense battles, with him drawing the first blood back in the year 2014 at the Wimbledon Championships.
“I think my life changed forever when I beat him [Nadal] and he has given me some a** whopping, I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say that but he has creamed me sometimes and I’ve learned a couple of things about myself,
” Kyrgios said.”He has made me improve, just made me an all-around better player for my career moving forward. So I’ll tell you that I’ve played him nine times, I never thought I’d play him that many times in my career so I just want to see him back out there healthy,” he added.
Kyrgios fondly recalled his second tie with the 37-year-old which came at the 2016 Italian Open. He suggested there is a probability of the 14-time French Open winner taking every opponent by storm when he takes the court at Roland Garros in 2024.
“I think he wins majority of his matches at the French Open by just turning up. You know ‘Best of 5’, I played him in Rome one year in a ‘Best of 3’ and I couldn’t walk the next day,” Nick Kyrgios said.
“I just want to see Rafael Nadal around as much as possible” – Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios further stated that he’s not as close to Rafael Nadal as he’s with the likes of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. He said:
“I’m probably more of a friend with Novak and Federer than I’m with Nadal. We still have a bit of a bittersweet rivalry there between me and him.”
The 28-year-old further admitted to wanting to see the Spaniard compete on tour for as long as he can.
“But the whole tennis world misses him. As one of his fellow competitors, we’ve had some battles and epics and I just want to see him around as much as possible,” Nick Kyrgios added.
Notably, Kyrgios lags behind the Spaniard 3-6 in their head-to-head count.
