Nick Kyrgios: 'Rafael Nadal is probably the greatest player of all time, I can't..'

At Wimbledon 2014, the 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios stunned Rafael Nadal in the fourth round to introduce himself to the tennis world. In Acapulco last year, the Aussie saved match points against the Spaniard, causing Nadal's bitter reactions, who wasn't happy about how Nick acted on the court. Nadal prevailed over Kyrgios at Wimbledon 2019 and the Australian Open 2020, with two high-level encounters without notable tensions between two rivals. While admitting he is not Nadal's biggest supporter, Kyrgios is honest about Rafa's achievements and everything he has accomplished throughout his career. Rafa claimed the 20th Major title at Roland Garros a couple of weeks ago, and Nick is mighty impressed by his numbers and domination in Paris. Taking nothing away from Nadal, Kyrgios said the Spaniard might be the greatest player of all time, ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Arriving in Paris with only three matches in his legs following the season restart, Nadal delivered his Roland Garros magic for the 13th time from 16 trips to the French capital, winning the title without losing a set and matching Roger Federer's Major record. Nadal got broken eight times in seven matches, standing strong against every rival and enduring all the challenges from the quarter-final round to lift the trophy. In the final, Nadal toppled world no. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in two hours and 41 minutes, outplaying Novak completely in sets one and two and staying focused in the closing stages of the third to seal the deal and earn one of the most notable victories of his career.

Nick Kyrgios said Rafael Nadal might be the greatest player of all time.

Playing aggressive and error-free tennis, Nadal stormed over Djokovic in the first part of the encounters, losing serve once in set number three but earning the crucial break at 5-5 that carried him over the top and towards tennis glory.

"It's unbelievable. I wasn't surprised when I saw Rafa pretty much easing through the French Open; that's his backyard. He loves playing there, and I think he's lost two matches there in his entire career. Honestly, I don't think we will ever see anything like that again; someone so dominant on one surface and right there with the greatest of all time. You can argue he is the greatest. We had our differences when we played against each other. We are fiery; we are competitors and are going to go after each other. At the same time, I'm not going to take anything away from him. Rafa is an absolute champion and a winner of 20 Majors, which is ridiculous; I don't think we will ever see that again," Nick Kyrgios said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3oDK2Mv