"Whole tennis world called me really disrespectful but I won" - Nick Kyrgios has no regrets about using underarm serve vs Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon
Nick Kyrgios revisited his first-ever underarm serve, which he produced against Rafael Nadal at the Wimbledon Championships. Kyrgios recalled how he was subject to criticism over using the shot against the Spaniard. However, the Australian didn't express any regret, and instead, remembered how it was one of the ways he used to unsettle the former World No. 1.
Kyrgios' famous 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 Wimbledon win over Nadal came in 2014. It was the pair's maiden encounter. At the time, Kyrgios, still only 19, was a relatively unknown figure in senior tennis, even though he had won both singles and doubles Major titles in juniors. Meanwhile, Nadal had already established himself as a legendary force in the men's game.
The shock fourth-round victory made the Australian an overnight sensation, but it also resulted in questions surrounding his seeming arrogance. This stemmed from an underarm serve that Nick Kyrgios hit during the match, which took Rafael Nadal by surprise. Underarm serves are legitimate shots by the letter of the tennis law. However, they are regarded by some as an act of disrespect towards opponents.
Recently, the former World No. 13 revealed that he needed to break the Spaniard's rhythm by doing something different. His admission came during an episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist opined that it was difficult to get "free points" from Nadal on serve because of the Spaniard's high-quality return game.
"I did it (underarm serve for the first time) against Nadal. He is known for returning the ball like really far back in the court, so it's hard to get a free point. So I needed to do something to get this guy out of this rhythm, and I did it and the whole tennis world called me really disrespectful, but, I won the match. So, I found a way," Kyrgios said.
Later, the 29-year-old suggested sarcastically that his critics at the time could not stand the fact that he had defeated one of the "Gods" of the sport, that too using an audacious underarm serve.
"They (critics) were like, 'How could he do that? The tennis Gods are shaking in their boots'," Kyrgios added.
The 2014 Wimbledon win was one of three victories that Kyrgios registered against Nadal.
Nick Kyrgios also got the better of Rafael Nadal at the 2017 Cincinnati Open and the 2019 Mexican Open
The most dominant performance Nick Kyrgios produced against Rafael Nadal came in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Cincinnati Open. On that particular occasion, the Australian ran away with the match, comprehensively defeating the Spaniard 6-2, 7-5. Kyrgios also won their 2019 Mexican Open Round of 16 clash 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(6).
However, Nadal leads the pair's head-to-head on the ATP Tour 6-3. The Spaniard could have played Kyrgios one last time in the semifinals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. However, he withdrew ahead of the match with an injury, granting the Australian free passage to the final, which Kyrgios lost to Novak Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will retire following his participation in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals. Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios is set to stage his tennis comeback after an extended spell on the sidelines with injury and subsequent surgery. The Australian is expected to feature at the World Tennis League, an exhibition team tennis event in December.