Nick Kyrgios Admits He Wanted to Throw Racquet at Rafael Nadal Out of Hatred
Nick Kyrgios has never been one to hold back — and in a recent episode of The Changeover Podcast, the outspoken Australian served up another dose of brutal honesty, this time about his long-simmering tension with tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
“Me and Roger [Federer] have been fine, but me and Rafa don’t like each other at all,” said Nick Kyrgios. “I think we just we respect each other’s games. But I just think we’re two different personalities, two completely different stories, and we just don’t like each other every time we played each other. I just wanted to {expletive} throw my {expletive} racquet at him,” he went on to add.
“I just can’t {expletive} stand him. He does my head in, but he’s a good player., you I just wanted to beat him so bad every time,” said the Australian. “Sometimes when I lost the Feds, I was just like whatever, but with Rafa it burned me, it would burn me so much.”
The tensions between Rafa and Kyrgios were evident in most of the matches they have played. The epic Wimbledon second round encounter in 2019 or the Acapulco match in the same year, are good examples of Kyrgios’ feisty behavior towards Nadal.
Kyrgios went on to add that his hatred towards Rafael Nadal was personal because his coaching academy would always put Nadal on a pedestal. Kyrgios did not like that and held on to those memories as he turned pro.
“I think because my coaches loved Rafa, when I was in the academy, they were like, ‘Oh, you need to work as hard as Rafa, you have to have the heart of Rafa,’ you have to have this, you have to have that, it was always rough,” revealed Kyrgios.
“It was like, Rafa, Rafa, Rafa and I was like, {expletive}, dude they would play the videos of him moving on the court and I’m just like, bro, {expletive} I’m so over this guy,” said Kyrgios.
This candid conversation by Kyrgios reveals why his behaviour was so raw when he played against Rafael Nadal. The rivalry between Kyrgios and Nadal has always carried an extra charge, with fiery encounters on court and pointed comments off it.
While Kyrgios’ remarks may reignite debate about sportsmanship and respect, they also offer a rare, unfiltered glimpse into the personal battles that accompany elite tennis.
Related: Rafael Nadal Did Not Hesitate To Start Advising Alexandra Eala, Says Her Coach
