Nick Kyrgios has made his feelings clear on tennis legend Rafael Nadal, and he does not like the 22-time Grand Slam winner.
Nadal was part of what many believe to be the golden generation of tennis with the Spaniard, as well as Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray, dominating the court.
Kyrgios' assessment comes after Daniil Medvedev called out Nadal in a rant in a recent Shanghai Masters match. The Russian said Nadal went unpunished for his slow serve time, whereas other players were being called out on it. The Australian has now thrown his hat into the ring with his verdict.
The 30-year-old revealed: “You have a timer to serve between points right? It should be 25 seconds. So Rafa is just known for like, dragging out the times.
Nick Kyrgios has made it clear he does not like Rafael Nadal
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“There have been times when he's taken a minute and a half to begin points and no one says a word. But then like as soon as it's 26 seconds, they're like, 'code violation, loss of serve', and I'm like, 'brother, is there any discretion here or is it just like Rafa can do whatever he wants?''
“He's the greatest of all time. We don't like each other but I respect (him).”
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Kyrgios was also questioned on his relationship with former Wimbledon winner Andy Murray, but the seven-time ATP tour winner admitted the two have lost touch since Murray’s retirement.
The Australian admitted: “I mean, I wouldn’t even know if he’s a friend anymore. I guess he’s just like a colleague, like, I mean, we used to be closer, but then, I don’t know.
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Nick Kyrgios has gained a reputation for saying how he feels on tour
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“If I played him [Nadal] I would get up for it and try and get the best tennis I could possibly play. I didn’t feel that anger towards Federer or Novak when I played them.”
He went on to further explain his reasoning: "If I played Rafa, because everyone in our academies back home idolised him, they were like: ‘he is such a hard worker, he’s this and that.’ I was like ‘I can’t stand this guy’. I wanted to show people you could just have fun and be chilled and beat people like that."
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Kyrgios has been riddled with injuries in recent seasons, meaning he was forced to pull out of Grand Slams, but he has taken up punditry in his free time, commentating on Wimbledon for TNT Sports.
He most recently was forced to withdraw from the US Open for the third straight year, and has missed most of 2023 and 2024, aiming to return for the 2025 iteration, but another injury setback has forced him to miss some of his best years.
Nick Kyrgios has revealed his relationship with Andy Murray has weakened since the Briton's retirement
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The Australian will be hoping to make a return to the grandest stage in tennis next season, after only playing five matches this term and none since March.