"I was like 'Rafael Nadal's intense'... It was just opera music" - Nick Kyrgios revisits hilarious encounter with Spaniard at Cincinnati Open
Nick Kyrgios recalled a hilarious pre-match encounter with Rafael Nadal in the 2017 Cincinnati Masters.
The former Wimbledon finalist has not played a single match since June 2023 and his prolonged absence from the ATP Tour has seen him fall off from the rankings.
Kyrgios discussed managing emotions with boxing legend Mike Tyson on the latest episode of his podcast series 'Good Trouble' and recalled an incident before his match against Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Kyrgios mentioned that he noticed Nadal warming up with headphones on. He initially thought the 22-time Grand Slam champion seemed "intense" until the headphones came off and it turned out opera music was playing.
"I was getting ready to play [Rafael] Nadal in Cincinnati one year and he was next to me doing his crazy warmup with his headphones on, and I was like, 'This guy, he's intense.' When he took off his headphones and it was just opera music playing, that really sucked me up," Kyrgios said (at 8:47).
In that match, Kyrgios defeated Nadal 6-2, 7-5 on his way to the summit clash where he lost 3-6, 5-7 to Grigor Dimitrov.
Rafael Nadal leads 6-3 in head-to-head record against Nick Kyrgios
Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios locked horns nine times throughout their careers, with the Spaniard holding a 6-3 head-to-head advantage.
Their first encounter took place in the fourth round of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, with the Aussie stunning the then-World No. 2 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Nadal won the next two matches before Kyrgios registered his second win over the Spaniard in Cincinnati in 2017. The only final between the two players came at the 2017 China Open, with the Spaniard winning 6-2, 6-1.
Nick Kyrgios' third and final win over Rafael Nadal came in the second round of the 2019 Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco as he beat his older opponent 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(6). The last match between the two came in the quarterfinals of the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, with the Spaniard winning 7-6(0), 5-7, 6-4.
They were scheduled to lock horns in the semifinals of that year's Wimbledon Championships as well, but Nadal withdrew from the match due to an injury, propelling Kyrgios to his maiden Grand Slam final.