By Jon Pierik
London: Nick Kyrgios says it is unlikely he would ever have a beer with Rafael Nadal and blames their recent spat on comments made by the tennis great's uncle.
Wimbledon has the grudge match many had wanted after Kyrgios and Nadal won their way through to the second round on Thursday.
Kyrgios defeated fellow Australian Jordan Thompson 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 7-6 (12-10), 0-6, 6-1 in three hours and 26 minutes, while Nadal overcame Japan's Yuichi Sugita 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.
The pair has split their previous six meetings but this one shapes as the most intense following the fall-out of their clash during an extraordinary Mexican Open second-round encounter in March in which Kyrgios won in three sets.
Nadal claimed his opponent lacked respect "for the public, the rival and towards himself", prompting Kyrgios to respond in a podcast with New York Times tennis scribe Ben Rothenberg. He described Nadal as "super salty" and his "polar opposite", and almost two-faced.
Nick Kyrgios took aim at a linesman during a drawn out match against fellow Australian Jordan Thompson.Credit: AP
In an entertaining press conference on Wednesday, in which he declared he wouldn't change his on-court antics, Kyrgios was happy to engage in verbal jousting with journalists.
"Can I ask you what his uncle said to me first? Do you have that fact?" he replied when asked about his relationship with Nadal.
After a follow-up question, he replied: "Once you have that, then I'll answer that question. But that's good by you."
When the journalist said he didn't want to misquote what Toni Nadal had said, Kyrgios replied: "Did I go at him first or did his uncle come at me first?"
Kyrgios, 24, recently claimed that Toni Nadal had said the Australian "lacks education", prompting Kyrgios to reply: "I was like, ‘Bruh, I did 12 years at school you idiot’. I am educated and I understand that you are upset that I beat your family again but I am not going to be the same as Nadal."
Kyrgios said on Wednesday that he and Nadal had "mutual respect" but did not get along.
"Not sure that me and Rafa could go down to the Dog & Fox and have a beer together. I don't know him at all. I know him as a tennis player," he said.
"I just don't - no, I don't know him very well ... I mean, we have a mutual respect but that's about it, I think."
Nadal, the 18-times grand slam winner, said on Wednesday that his focus was on the match ahead.
Kyrgios lays on the court after diving for a shot against Thompson.Credit: AP
"I play against a top talent player, very dangerous player when he wants to play tennis. Normally against the best players, he wants to play tennis. When that happens, he's a very dangerous opponent," he said of Kyrgios.
"Of course, the second round is a super tough one. I know that. I need to be at my 100 per cent. I am going to fight for it."
Kyrgios was at his mercurial but frustrating best on court three against Thompson where he was slapped with a code of conduct violation after berating a line judge, among others. There were 51 unforced errors, many from debatable drop shots deep in the court, while he won only 42 per cent of second serve points. He went from winning the third set in 76 minutes to dropping the fourth in 18 minutes, the latter without winning a game.
He later seemed to claim he had used a boxing tactic in that bizarre fourth set.
"If a boxer puts his hands down in a fight, does that mean he's not trying? Yes? No? What's that? It means he's trying or not trying? Could be a tactic, couldn't it?" he said.
"How did the tactic pay off today? Good question. Oh, this is fun."
He needed an injury time out for treatment on a hamstring and later said he was "very sore" but remained a "physical specimen".
The Canberra native fought his inner demons, linesmen and even a steward who could be heard talking during the match.
Not a fan: Rafael Nadal said Kyrgios doesn't show respect for the game or his opponents.Credit: AP
"I am playing for hundreds of thousands of dollars ... but he is making mistakes like that. Wake up!" Kyrgios said to the chair umpire when a line call had not gone his way.
Kyrgios said he could not understand why he was so often criticised when the sport needed entertainers.
"Yeah, I'm never going to change. I used to be like this when I played under 12s, 14s. I just go out there, have fun, play the game how I want it to be played," he said.
"At the end of the day, I know people are going to watch. Like, they can say the way I play isn't right or he's classless for the sport, all that sort of stuff. They're probably still going to be there watching. Doesn't really make sense."