Rafael Nadal pays tribute to Kobe Bryant wearing Lakers hat after crashing Kyrgios

On Monday (January 27th) night, the Spanish maverick, world’s top Seed, Rafael Nadal knocked off the Aussie home-favourite and apparently the most-hated tennis pro in Open era, Nick Kyrgios, and moved in to the quarter final where the 33-year-old Mallorcan marvel would face off the 26-year-old Fifth Seed, Austrian Dominic Thiem.

Nonetheless, less than 24 hours before the match was set to kick off, the NBA Legend Kobe Bryant, who became a tennis fan shortly after his retirement in the 2016s and got involved with a number of tennis superstars likes of the 32-year-old 2nd Seed Serbian Novak Djokovic alongside the 22-year-old WTA 3rd Seed, Japanese-American Naomi Osaka, was died on a helicopter crash in LA alongside his 13-year-old daughter which came as an excruciating shock to many, while Rafa (Nadal) as well did not disremember to pay his tribute to the NBA star, whose ill-timed demise had grivously downhearted the entire sports world.

Besides, after battling past Kyrgios 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 at a dramatic fourth round match in the hard court of Rod Laver Arena on Monday (January 27th) night, wearing a black hat with “Lakers” printed in yellow below the Nike Inc. logo, Nadal said to tennis legend John McEnroe while being asked on Bryant in the on-court interview, “I wake up this morning with this terrible news. It’s super sad. He has been one of the greatest sportsmen in history, so he deserves a round of big applause. I didn’t spend time with him but I met him. I have a very close friend that was playing with him for a long time, Pau Gasol, and he always told me he has the spirit of overcoming, of hardworking, he always wanted more, he always wanted to increase his level, he has been a true inspiration for the world of sport.”

“It’s one of these days you want to forget but Kobe Bryant will be in our hearts for the rest of our lives,” added the 33-year-old Spanish spellbinder.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/38N9fvb