Nick Kyrgios’ rivalry with world No. 1 Rafael Nadal intensified after Mexican Open controversies
As tennis fans prepare for the Nick Kyrgios-Rafael Nadal stoush to come to a head in the Australian Open fourth round, Scott Gullan investigates why the rivalry between two of the world’s best players has intensified.
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Rafael Nadal had his diplomatic face on when the topic of Nick Kyrgios was raised.
He knew the Australian had mocked his serving routine during his second-round match and he also knew the question was coming.
“I really don’t care. I am here to play tennis. Honestly, I don’t care at all. If was funny, good. That’s it.” Nadal said.
That’s far from it.
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What Kyrgios’ hijinks did was signal the latest episode in a bitter feud which has been simmering away for the past 12 months.
The Mexico Open in February last year is when the pair’s clear dislike for each other bubbled over into the public arena.
Nick Kyrgios got a time violation warning, and then proceeded to take the piss out of Nadal’s serve routine straight after. This man is ruthless ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/ulo8o35gEG
— KYRGIOS (@Sabrina_Arsenal) January 23, 2020
During a feisty quarter-final match-up, Kyrgios complained to the chair umpire about the amount of time the Spaniard was taking during his service games.
The Australian went on to save three match points before claiming an epic victory – he went on to win the title – but it was the use of a cheeky underarm serve which had Nadal seeing red.
After the match the world No. 1 told reporters Kyrgios was very talented, but he “‘lacks respect for the public, the rival and towards himself’, and that this was why the Australian had never progressed higher in the rankings than 13th – achieved in October 2016.
A week later his uncle, and former coach, Toni, jumped in which further inflamed things.
“Rafa is totally right,” Toni said in an interview on Spanish radio.
“He lacks education and smartness. He should be fighting for the top rankings and instead, he is No. 40.
“He does not look like a bad guy but he has been disrespectful too many times to get back on track.”
Nick Kyrgios aces Nadal with an underarm serve! #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/wKH7N85j9J
— TennisMatrix 🎾 (@Tennis_Matrix) July 4, 2019
As you can imagine this didn’t go down well with Kyrgios who used an explosive podcast in May to launch an extraordinary attack on Nadal and fellow superstar Novak Djokovic.
“He’s my polar opposite, like literally my polar opposite. And he’s super salty,” Kyrgios said of Nadal.
““Every time I’ve beaten him … when he wins, it’s fine. He won’t say anything bad, he’ll credit the opponent, ‘He was a great player’. But as soon as I beat him, it’s just like, ‘He has no respect for me, my fans and no respect to the game’.
“And I’m like, ‘What are you talking about? I literally played this way when I beat you the other previous times and nothing changed, nothing changed. When you beat me in Rome here a couple of years ago, nothing has changed; I was the same person’.
“It’s not a good look for you, I feel. And then Uncle Toni came out saying, ‘He lacks education’. I’m like, ‘Bra, I did 12 years at school, you idiot. I’m very educated. I understand that you’re upset I beat your family again’.”
The tennis gods played their part by putting the pair together a couple of months later at Wimbledon.
Five years earlier Kyrgios had scored the biggest win of his career when he upset Nadal at the All-England Club but this second-round match-up went the Spaniard’s way after four enthralling sets.
Once again the fallout was significant.
The Australian was again frustrated by Nadal’s pedestrian play which led to a blow-up with the chair umpire.
Then at one point Kyrgios slammed a ball into the body of Nadal at the net and refused to apologise.
“I think he can take a ball to the chest, bro. I’m not going to apologise to him at all,” Kyrgios said afterwards.
“I was going for him. Yeah, I wanted to hit him square in the chest. Like, he’s got decent hands.”
For his part, Nadal attempted to play it down, saying he didn’t mind being hit by the ball but then bizarrely claimed he was concerned it might rebound and hit someone in the crowd.
The pair haven’t played since although some of Kyrgios’ social media work has been labelled by Nadal fans as continuing to stir the pot.
In October when Nadal married long-time partner Xisca Perello, Kyrgios strangely decided to post a video of the body-shot from Wimbledon on the day of the ceremony.