“I was in a pub till 4 am before I played Rafael Nadal” – Nick Kyrgios recalls 2019 Wimbledon match against Spaniard in conversation with Mike Tyson
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios recently said that he was in a pub until 4 am the night before his match against Rafael Nadal at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
Kyrgios went face-to-face with Nadal in the second round of the Championships on July 4, 2019. The duo battled it out for three hours and four minutes on Centre Court. The opening game went the Spaniard's way, but Kyrgios took the second set easily. The next two sets went into a tiebreak.
Kyrgios hit a staggering 29 aces against the Spaniard during the match. However, they weren't enough to take him over the line. Nadal advanced to the next round with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) win.
Kyrgios recently sat down with boxing legend Mike Tyson for an episode of the Hotboxin' With Mike Tyson podcast. He held a long conversation with the veteran over different aspects of his personal and professional life. He recalled his first and only win against Roger Federer at the Madrid Open in 2015, saying:
“My most memorable win I reckon was I think, probably when I beat Federer for the first time, that was the most memorable.”
Tyson then asked the Kyrgios if he went out partying after his maiden success over the Swiss Maestro.
“No, because I had to play the next day. And I was 19 and I didn’t really like… I wasn’t big on to the scene yet,” he replied.
The Australian further added that he was out drinking a few hours before stepping onto the court against Nadal at SW19 in 2019.
"There were nights when I was… I was in a pub till 4 a.m. before I played Rafa at Wimbledon one year. My old agent had to drag me out of the pub. But the first time I beat Federer was probably the most memorable."
“I lost in a tough four-set battle. But yeah, I feel like getting some sleep at 11 p.m. wouldn’t have hurt,” Kyrgios said.
Rafael Nadal leads the head-to-head against Nick Kyrgios 6-3
Nick Kyrgios shocked the tennis world as a teenager when he battled past Rafael Nadal in their first-ever match-up against each other at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships.
The Spaniard hit back with victories in his next two encounters - both on clay. Kyrgios, however, leveled the head-to-head count with a win in straight sets at the Cincinnati Masters in 2017.
Nadal later raced ahead of the Australian in the next few years with a few hard-fought triumphs. Their latest encounter ended in a walkover victory for Kyrgios as the Spaniard pulled out of their 2022 semifinal at the Championships. The head-to-head tally currently stands at 6-3 in favor of the Spaniard.
Both players are currently out of on-court action due to injury.