Rafael Nadal is one of the most loved sports stars on the planet, let alone tennis players, but for Nick Kyrgios, the Spanish ace is just too much. Kyrgios has opened up about his dislike for the legendary star in the past, but in his latest assessment of Nadal’s character, the Aussie didn’t pull any punches.
It comes after fellow tennis ace Daniil Medvedev name-checked Nadal during a fiery rant midway through a recent Shanghai Masters match. The Russian alleged Nadal used to go unpunished during his playing days for taking too long on serves, whereas Medvedev and others are pulled up on the offence.
Kyrgios threw his weight behind the Medvedev claims during an appearance on the Unscripted podcast, saying: “You have a timer to serve between points right? It should be 25 seconds. So Rafa is just known for like, dragging out the times.
“There have been times when he’s taken a minute and a half to begin points and no one says a word. But then like as soon as it’s 26 seconds, they’re like, ‘code violation, loss of serve’, and I’m like, ‘brother, is there any discretion here or is it just like Rafa can do whatever he wants?'” Before going on to, rather crudely, add: “He’s the greatest of all time. We don’t like each other but I respect (him).”
Kyrigios was also quizzed on his relationship with former pro Andy Murray, but the 30-year-old admitted the two have drifted since the Brit’s retirement. He said: “I mean, I wouldn’t even know if he’s a friend anymore. I guess he’s just like a colleague, like, I mean, we used to be closer, but then, I don’t know.”
It isn’t the first time Kyrgios has blasted Nadal, with the former Wimbledon runner-up telling the Nothing Major podcast: “I couldn’t stand him. I used to hate and despise him so much when I saw him walking around. He was one guy who always motivated me. If I played him I would get up for it and try and get the best tennis I could possibly play. I didn’t feel that anger towards Federer or Novak when I played them.”
Going on to explain the difference, he added: “If I played Rafa, because everyone in our academies back home idolised him, they were like: ‘he is such a hard worker, he’s this and that.’ I was like ‘I can’t stand this guy’. I wanted to show people you could just have fun and be chilled and beat people like that.”