Nick Kyrgios-Rafael Nadal feud: Building tennis’ new-age rivalry
Make no mistake, the Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal feud is real. But there is no finger pointing or direct man-on-man sledging - and there doesn’t have to be thanks to an outside source.
Tennis
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In bygone eras a great tennis rivalry used to be a fight over a trophy. These days it’s a spat over time wasting.
When it comes to a shootout for silverware, the Rafael Nadal-Nick Kyrgios rivalry has none of 80-match longevity of the Chris Evert-Martina Navratilova showdowns or the deep historical gravitas of John McEnroe versus Bjorn Borg who met 14 times over for a seven-seven split.
This is very much the modern tennis rivalry, built as much on the spoken word of men who don’t really get along as much as the seven tight contests they have played of which Nadal has won four.
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Yet, that, in its own quirky way, makes it as compelling to watch as any combination of the Federer-Djokovic-Nadal shootouts which are touted as the “moment-you-can’t-miss’’ matches of the modern era.
You don’t have to understand tennis to appreciate the theme of the naughty boy at the back-of-the-bus (Kyrgios) needling the class prefect (Nadal) who sits up near the driver.
This is a fascinating duel built on two men talking about rather than to each other.
Kyrgios has complained to chair umpires about Nadal’s slow play and once even directly aimed a ball at his body, but there is no finger pointing or direct man-on-man sledging.
Generally all the pot-stirring is done via a willing third party – the media – grilled as the duo are about each other whenever a major showdown looms.
Sometimes they bite. Sometimes they don’t.
Sometimes their words say nothing – such as Nadal’s complete indifference to Kyrgios impersonating his slow play this week – but even the solemn way he shut down the question told it’s own story.
Nadal is the interesting one.
For a player who barely ever utters a negative sentence about anyone in the game it’s always chastening to sample his unfiltered verdicts on Kyrgios like “He lacks respect for the crowd, his opponent and towards himself.”
No nuance. No mayonnaise. Cop that.
There was also no mistaking Kyrgios’ feelings when he said of Nadal “when he wins, it’s fine; he will credit the opponent. But as soon as I beat him, he has no respect for me, my fans or the game…’’
The significant thing about these words is they come in an era when sports stars have never said more … or less.
While the world is cluttered with social media opinions from players on everything from bushfires to backhands it is rare indeed for two rivals to basically declare they don’t get on.
Political correctness and the unspoken rule of professional sport that you never wind up a rival has hidden many a deep-seated rivalry.
Tennis rivalries are curious things which sometimes morph into long-lasting friendships.
Evert and Navratiltova have stayed great friends since their retirement with Evert magnanimous enough to suggest Navratilova at her best was the better player.
McEnroe was so consumed by his rivalry with Borg he never quite recovered from Borg’s early exit from the game, claiming “nothing ever replaced the feeling I had playing Bjorg.’’
McEnroe was best man at Borg’s wedding and the great Swede claimed he only decided to abort a plan to auction off his five Wimbledon trophies when McEnroe rang and said “man, what are you doing?’’
Kyrgios and Nadal are a long way from this point and they face off for the eighth time on Monday.
Yet that only makes their showdown more captivating.
Originally published as Nick Kyrgios-Rafael Nadal feud: Building tennis’ new-age rivalry