‘I Don’t Hate Him at All’- Rafael Nadal Opens up on His Relationship with Nick Kyrgios

Rafael Nadal beat Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells). The two engaged in some high-quality hitting, going neck and neck against each other.

Even though Kyrgios pushed his limits to beat the Spaniard, it was Nadal who came out victorious. Nadal took 2 hours and 46 minutes to beat Kyrgios 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.

Even though the spectators witnessed an unfolding of some high-quality tennis, what took the limelight was Kyrgios’s emotional outbursts. During the match, Kyrgios showed a series of unruly behavior, starting from breaking his racquet to abusing the crowd.

However, what caught the most attention was his nearly missed racquet throw. During the post-match press conference, Nadal gave his thoughts on the matter. He also expressed his views on the players acting in such a way on the tour.

Rafael Nadal gives his thoughts on Kyrgios’s on-court behavior

The press conference started with Nadal addressing the media with his thoughts on his match against Kyrgios. Post the address, Nadal was asked to put forward his views on Kyrgios’s post-match incident, and whether players need to be aware of their environment.

Answering the question, Nadal firstly cleared the air saying that he did not see Kyrgios’s incident. “I didn’t see that, Sorry. I can’t have a clear opinion because I was on my side. Sorry, I was not able to see that sequence of what happened,” he said.

Also read- ‘It Was a Complete Accident’- Nick Kyrgios Issues Apology After Nearly Hitting a Ball Boy With Racquet

During the pre-tournament press conference, Nadal had given his views on such acts by players, with reference to Zverev’s incident in Acapulco. Receiving a similar question again seemed to irritate World No. 4. Not wanting to answer the question again, Nadal tipped it off by directing the journalists towards his answer during the pre-tournament press conference.

He said, “I’m really not in a mood to talk about this kind of stuff. We have talked about it before the tournament. You know my opinion about this kind of things. But at the end there is an organization that is making decisions.”

Nadal shares a healthy relationship with Kyrgios

The Spaniard is known for having sound relations with all players on the tour. Opening up on his relationship with Nick Kyrgios, Nadal emphasized the point that he doesn’t hate Kyrgios. He further went on to explain that he likes Kyrgios for his character.

“In some way, I have a good relationship with all these players. Even if it’s Nick, you don’t get me wrong. People can think that we hate each other because of what happened in the past. It not true at all. I don’t hate him at all. In some way I like him like a character. Of course when you cross some lines, the things become different.”

Coming back to Nadal’s performance at the Indian Wells, the 3-time champion looks in solid shape, being one of the top contenders of the title. Following his quarterfinal win on Kyrgios, Rafa is now on a 19-0-win streak. He will next play fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.

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