Nick Kyrgios used to 'hate and despise' Rafael Nadal, had more 'anger' for Spaniard than Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer
By Leon Imber
Published 16/12/2024 at 09:57 GMT
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Nick Kyrgios said he had more "anger" towards retired tennis legend Rafael Nadal than other rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. The pair met on nine occasions, and were set to face-off in the 2022 Wimbledon semi-final before the Spaniard was forced to withdraw through an abdominal injury. Kyrgios will return to Grand Slam action at the 2025 Australian Open - live on Eurosport and discovery+.
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Nick Kyrgios said he "used to hate and despise" 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, and held more "anger" for the Spaniard than other tennis greats Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Kyrgios and Nadal met on nine occasions overall, with Nadal prevailing in six of them - while the 14-time Roland Garros winner also enjoyed a 2-1 record over his counterpart in Slam meetings.
They were set to clash for the 10th time in the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022, but Nadal was forced to withdraw through an abdominal injury - putting Kyrgios in contention for his maiden major title.
The Australian, though, suffered defeat to Djokovic in the final, and speaking on the Nothing Major podcast earlier this week, he said the now-retired Nadal was the "one guy who always motivated me".
"I couldn’t stand him," said Kyrgios. "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.
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"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."
Nadal made his final bow at the Davis Cup in November as Spain were ousted by the Netherlands at the first hurdle, putting an end to a glittering career which boasted 92 ATP-level titles.
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And despite his recent comments, Kyrgios posted a classy tribute to the clay specialist in the wake of his retirement.
He said on X in October: "Damn. I’ve had nightmares that have woke me up about Rafa. I’m gonna miss them.
"This was someone that I used to prepare for… he was a motivation – I guess an inspiration. F*** – it’s true - people do bring the best out of you. You were one of those people. Damn….."
Kyrgios will make his long-awaited return to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open in January - live on Eurosport and discovery+.
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The former world No. 13 last appeared in a major tournament in 2022, as he was ousted from the US Open at the quarter-final stage - and will appear in front of his home crowd next month playing under a protected ranking of No. 21.
The 29-year-old has suffered a torrid few years with injury, notably struggling with issues with his knee, foot and wrist, and will ramp up his return to action at the World Tennis League in the United Arab Emirates from December 19-22.
Watch the 2025 Australian Open live on Eurosport and discovery+.
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