Rafael Nadal says top tennis stars like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer prefer not to face Nick Kyrgios.
The Australian defeated Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 of the 2019 Mexican Open the Acapulco Princess Mundo Imperial. With the win, Nick Kyrgios made it to the quarter-final of the tournament.
"As we all know, Nick has a very high level and kind of a player that the ones from the top do not want to face. The key is to make fewer mistakes than the rival," Express reported Rafael Nadal as saying.
The Spanish tennis star won the opening set and then lost the second and the third set in tiebreakers. Rafael Nadal gave a detailed evaluation of what went wrong for him that he ended up suffering a defeat at the hands of Nick Kyrgios.
"What has happened in the last five minutes of the game has been a reflection of what happened in the second and third sets. 0-40 in both games with 0-30 and two clear points to win them too," he added.
"A lot of things have happened, it's been one of these days that he has not won, I've always played to win. I've been ahead on the score at all times."
"His chances compared to mine have been minimal but playing against a player who plays this way you are exposed to the risk that the final result is not what you expected if you do not take advantage of the opportunities you have. In this case there have been many."
Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios told he gets excited while facing big-name tennis stars and big matches.
"I love going out and playing the big matches. It's one of the best atmospheres that I've ever played in. You could tell the crowd was loving every minute of that match," said Kyrgios.
"That's what we play for. To come to Acapulco, Centre Court, a packed crowd. They were never silent. They were cheering Rafa's name, cheering my name. It's a match I will never forget."
The remarkable thing about Nick Kyrgios was that he was struggling with food poisoning, but he managed to overcome it to beat Rafael Nadal.
"I woke up today and had food poisoning. The physio gave me some tablets and it helped a bit, but I was feeling a little woozy. I've been dealing with a knee injury as well. Before the match, I wasn't so sure if I was going to go out there," said Kyrgios. "
"I was in the shower a half an hour before I played and just feeling really average. [But] the more I got into the match, the adrenaline kicked in. I'm just really proud of how I overcame a couple of things tonight and the way I competed."
