Nadal makes Kyrgios’ three-man rivals checklist however Djokovic left off
Nick Kyrgios has named Stefanos Tsitsipas, Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka as his three largest rivals in tennis. The Aussie has had on-court feuds with all the aforementioned and it’s due to this fact no shock that they make it on his checklist.
Tsitsipas and Kyrgios met in a bad-tempered third-round conflict at Wimbledon final 12 months which spilled out off the court docket. After the match, the Greek star described Kyrgios’ method to tennis as “uneducated”, and likened his angle to that of an ‘NBA basketball’ participant.
Tsitispas’ feedback had been criticised by some afterwards, however the world No 5 affirmed that his feedback had been “misinterpreted”. “It has come to my attention that some individuals have misinterpreted my comments regarding Nick Kyrgios… insinuating racism where none exists,” Tsitsipas wrote on social media in response to the backlash.
“I want to emphasize that I harbour no prejudice towards anyone based on their background, ethnicity, or interests. I deeply regret if my words were misinterpreted or caused offence, as that was never my intention.”
Kyrgios’ rivalry with Wawrinka can be well-documented and stuffed with loads of controversy. The 28-year-old was fined closely for a vulgar comment about Wawrinka’s girlfriend on the time, Donna Vekic, whereas on the court docket on the Canadian Open again in 2015.
During the second-round conflict Kyrgios was heard telling the three-time Grand Slam winner, “[Thanasi] Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend. Sorry to tell you that mate.” Kyrgios later claimed that Warwinka had provoked him into saying it by being “lippy”.
“He was getting a bit lippy with me,” he mentioned. “Kind of in the heat of the moment, I don’t know. I just said it.” In response Warwinka informed assembled media after the match: “I just hope the ATP takes big measures against him. He’s young but that’s no excuse … every match, he behaves very badly.
“The problem is he doesn’t just behave badly towards himself, he behaves badly towards the people around, the other players, the ball kids, the umpires. I really hope the ATP will take major action against him this time.”
Kyrgios’ rivalry with Nadal is a little less fiery than his with Wawrinka but it hit boiling point back in 2019 at the Mexican Open when the Aussie recorded an upset victory over the then World No 2. Nadal was complimentary about Kyrgios’ skills but criticised his attitude.
“He’s a participant who has monumental expertise and might be profitable Grand Slams or preventing for the primary rating,” said Nadal in the post-match press conference. “He lacks respect for the group, his opponent and in direction of himself.
“I don’t think he’s a bad guy, but he lacks a little respect for the public and the rival.” Kyrgios did not take kindly to Nadal’s phrases. “He doesn’t know anything about me,” he mentioned in response to his rival’s feedback. “So, I’m not going to listen at all. That’s the way I play.
“He’s bought his personal recreation. I’ve bought my recreation. We performed properly. That’s the game. People are totally different so I’m not going to take that into consideration in any respect.”