DISRESPECTFUL
Kyrgios came back to win 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6) against Nadal at the Acapulco International
Rafael Nadal criticised the attitude of Nick Kyrgios after he was beaten by him at the Acapulco International.
The controversial Australian produced a stunning comeback to win the match 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6), but was booed throughout the match in Mexico and even told the crowd to ‘shut up’ at one point.
Kyrgios had forced the world no.2 back beyond the baseline with a series of powerful serves, 21 in total, but then cheekily tried to catch Nadal off guard by executing an underarm serve.
This enraged the tennis legend, who after reluctantly shaking his opponent’s hand, complained about Kyrgios to ESPN.
“He is a player who has ginormous talent,” Nadal said.
“He could win Grand Slams and fight the top positions of the ranking, but there is a reason why he is where he is.
“He lacks respect for the public, the rival and towards himself.”
Kyrgios, who set up a quarter-final clash with Stan Wawrinka on Friday, hit back at the Spaniard.
“I’m different, Rafa’s different, he can focus on what he needs to do,” he said.
“He doesn’t know the journey I’ve been through, he doesn’t know anything about me so I’m not going to listen at all.
“It’s the way I play, it’s the way he plays.
“He’s very slow between points. There’s a rule in the books that says you have to play at the speed of the server, Rafa has the speed every time.
“I’m not going to comment on his game, he has his game, I have my game.”
Tennis TV
Tennis TV
