MADRID: Next month will mark the third anniversary of Nick Kyrgios’ breakthrough win over Rafael Nadal at the Wimbledon Championships. It was a match that first took the Australian to headline news around the world. Their next clash in Madrid might not be as significant, but Kyrgios finds himself in a better place.
Gracing his presence at the Caja Magica on Wednesday, Kyrgios cruised to a 6-3, 6-3, win over Ryan Harrison. The second round triumph saw the 16th seed win 80% of his service points and successfully save the only break point he faced.
“I thought I served really well and that allowed me to go after his service games.” Said Kyrgios. “I didn’t really have any pressure on my serve. That’s how I have been playing all year. I have been serving really well and I have been hitting really well.”
Kyrgios’ reward is a clash with Nadal on his beloved clay. The Spaniard progressed to the third round after struggling past Fabio Fognini. Their head-to-head is currently tied at 1-1, but it is always a daunting prospect playing the Spaniard on his home ground. On the other hand, it is also an ideal scenario for somebody with Kyrgios’ personality. A player who thrives on the big stages playing against the best in the world.
“I played Rafa in Rome last year. We had a battle there, 6-4 in the third, and obviously we had that battle at Wimbledon. I think every time we play each other the surface obviously play a factor.” He assessed.
“It’s going to be an exciting match to play.”
Unlike their first clash in 2014, this time round things are different. Kyrgios’ controversial antics appears to be a thing of the past. He appears more grown up, more calm and more importantly, more reflective.
“I don’t really think about that match anymore. I was young and I was playing Rafa on his worst surface.” He said about his Wimbledon milestone.
“I was very young back then, didn’t have much perspective. I thought tennis was the bee all and end all in the world. Now it’s just a game we play and there a lot of other important things that has happened.”
Mutual respect
The 22-year-old believes he can perform ‘very well’ in his upcoming clash with the king of clay. It is an unsurprising statement considering his encouraging start to 2017. This year has seen him reach his first Masters 1000 semi final and produced back-to-back wins over Novak Djokovic.
Despite the beaming confidence, Kyrgios is under no illusion of who he is playing. His admiration for Nadal is one thing that makes their upcoming match even more special.
“I think he’s the best clay court player in the world, the greatest of all time.” He said about Nadal. “He’s going to be a massive favorite. It is always going to be tough for any Australian to come and play Rafa on clay, but I feel that I can play the right style of tennis and play and commit.”
The admiration is one also expressed by Nadal, who admits he needs to up his game in order to come out on top.
“I have to play really well to be able to beat him. I think I’m ready to do that. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I don’t know what’s going to happen.” Said Nadal.
Kyrgios will play Nadal on court Manolo Santana at 20:00 local time on Thursday.
