Nick Kyrgios has delivered yet another smack down of former world tennis number one, Rafael Nadal.
The latest comments came during the 30-year-old’s highly entertaining appearance on the Unscripted podcast when host Josh Mansour asked about his infamous match against Jannik Sinner at the 2022 Miami Open, which saw Kyrgios hit with a string of code violations and fines totalling US$35,000.
“The umpire was a f**king peanut, Carlos Bernardes, look him up,” Kyrgios laughed, before explaining his behaviour that day was largely triggered by frustration around Nadal’s treatment compared to other players on the men’s tour.
“Rafa is known for just dragging out the times (between points) and no-one says a word—but for everyone else, it’s a code violation, loss of serve,” Kyrgios said.
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‘I don’t give a shit what Rafa does’
While Kyrgios explained he always respected Nadal as a player, their relationship started and ended there.
“I don’t give a shit what Rafa does, he’s the greatest of all time, but we don’t like each other, he’s an idiot, we’re very different,” he said.
“As someone you competed against, you respect his ability, but you wouldn’t go and have a beer with him.”
The former Australian number one went on to explain the seeds of his feelings towards Nadal began all the way back in his junior days.
“Everyone in the academy when I was growing up used Rafa as an example, ‘Rafa’s intensity’, ‘Rafa’s footwork’, ‘Rafa’s this, Rafa’s that’,” Kyrgios reflected.
“I was like ‘f**k, why don’t you just get down on your knees for him?’
“Then when I started playing him, I was like ‘everyone at Tennis Australia puts him up on a throne’, I just wanted to beat him really bad, it was my motivation for a long time.
“Then when he retired I was a bit sad, because he was someone who got me out of bed sometimes.”
During their careers Kyrgios faced Nadal nine times with the Spaniard holding the advantage, six wins to three.
Their final meeting came in the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2022, however that match ended in an anticlimax when Kyrios won in a walkover.
Nadal retired in November 2024 with 92 career singles titles and 22 Grand Slams.