"Doesn’t really surprise me at all" - Nick Kyrgios teases Pat Cash for losing against 14-year-old Rafael Nadal back in the day
Nick Kyrgios has made fun of former player Pat Cash for losing against 14-year-old Rafael Nadal during his prime days, adding that it did not surprise him.
Cash was scheduled to play against former World No. 1 Boris Becker in an exhibition match in Mallorca back in 2000. Becker could not compete that day and a young Nadal stepped up to replace him.
The American underestimated the teenager and casually played the opening stages of the match. However, the determined Spaniard fought with all his might to outclass the experienced Cash in straight sets.
A Twitter user recollected the famous story, posting a picture of a young Nadal and Cash's words on the incident. Reacting to the story, Kyrgios admitted that the result wasn't surprising as the 57-year-old "wouldn't win games now."
"Doesn’t really surprise me at all, pat cash wouldn’t win games now," the World No. 20 wrote in his tweet.
@gigicat7_ Doesn’t really surprise me at all, pat cash wouldn’t win games now 😂
Reflecting on the amusing incident back in the day, Cash said in 2020 that "99% of the kids would have choked and fallen apart" but not the 22-time Grand Slam champion who was just "all over the court," hitting "some unbelievable winners."
“99 percent of the kids would have choked and fallen apart. He was just tearing it up everywhere, all over the court, and hit some unbelievable winners. At the time, I was 38 and was still hitting the ball pretty well. I lost that match, I don’t remember what the score was, but it was close. He didn’t get nervous or anything," stated the Australian.
Pat Cash felt Rafael Nadal was "something else" after the Spaniard smashed him in straight sets
Continuing to talk about the match, Cash said that he was left shocked by the prowess of the-then 14-year-old. The former Wimbledon champion then opened up on what unfolded in the locker room after he suffered the humiliating defeat.
"I came into the locker room after, the guys sort of looked at me, just to look at my reaction. And my reaction was losing to a 14-year-old and I just sort of looked at them and said, ‘Wow, this kid is something else!" said the Australian.