The tennis world recently witnessed a big shock as Rafael Nadal posted an update on his recent injury. While everyone expected great things from the Spaniard in the tours ahead, his announcement of pulling out from the Australian Open came out as a disappointment for the fans.
Besides the fans, members of the tennis community also seem to be shattered by the update. Soon after Rafa informed about his decision to fly back to Spain, Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios came forward to express his feelings on the unexpected event.
Nick Kyrgios expressed his saddened thoughts over Rafael Nadal’s recent setback
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Tennis fans around the world are currently involved in discussions as Rafael Nadal faced a setback in his comeback journey. Soon after making an exciting return, Nadal’s hopes for the Australian Open have been shattered due to an injury that he incurred in his quarterfinals match in Brisbane.
Feel for Rafa man 😢💔 get better soon, that was the fear for me as well, coming back a little too soon…
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 7, 2024
Soon after the Spaniard gave an update to the fans about his withdrawal from the upcoming tour, fellow player Nick Kyrgios came out with his disappointed thoughts as he tweeted, “Feel for Rafa man 😢💔 get better soon, that was the fear for me as well, coming back a little too soon…”
While Kyrgios has experienced his own share of challenges due to injuries, his empathetic thoughts for Rafa’s unexpected setback seem to be justified. Kyrgios missed AO last year and he is going to miss it this year too due to a prolonged knee injury.
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Kyrgios chooses empathy over long-term rivalry
As the Aussie came forward to share his thoughts about Rafa’s recent setback, the response from him was quite unexpected for the fans. The two tennis stars have shared a rivalry against each other for a long time. Kyrgios always seemed to be quite disappointed whenever he faced a defeat against the Spaniard.
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After losing one of his matches against him at the Australian Open 2020, the Aussie mentioned, “I’m shattered to have lost tonight. These are the matches that I want to win the most.” While both players currently find themselves in similar situations of keeping themselves away from the sport, Kyrgios’ recent comment makes fans believe that he prioritized empathy over rivalry.
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