Nick Kyrgios delivered another moment of pure insanity as he overcame Rafael Nadal in a heated, three-set epic at the Acapulco Open.
Kyrgios stunningly attempted an underhanded serve while serving to stay in the match in the third set. He also told a trainer he feared having to retire, despite suffering back pain, because he didn’t want to be booed off the court.
Kyrgios’ impressive streak of winners and booming serves were overshadowed by late hostility that erupted between the pair when the match was on the line.
Nadal dragged the hostility off the court with him, taking a shot at Kyrgios in his post-match media conference.
He said Kyrgios “lacked respect” after the pair clashed over a time-wasting accusation.
Kyrgios eventually claimed a 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6) win after a roller-coaster three hours.
It was everything that makes Kyrgios one of the best shows in tennis.
Nadal served for the match in the tiebreak while leading 6-5. The World No. 2 double-faulted to give Kyrgios a 7-6 lead. Kyrgios then served it out.
Kyrgios was booed by fans throughout the match, and he was more than a little animated after saving three match points and serving out the match.
He fell to the floor after a Nadal groundstroke sailed long on match point, and he then charged to the net while pumping his arms toward the crowd. The crowd continued to boo the Aussie, even as he and Nadal shook hands at the net.
The pair only shared a brief, token exchange at the net, which appeared more than a little frosty after such a fierce contest.
Nadal was still angry about the contest in his post-match press conference.
“He’s a player who has enormous talent, could be winning grand slams or fighting for the No. 1 ranking,” Nadal said in Spanish.
“He lacks respect for the crowd, his opponent and towards himself. I don’t think he’s a bad guy, but he lacks a little respect for the public and the rival.”
Nadal appeared to be offended in the tense, third-set tiebreak when Kyrgios complained to the chair umpire about Nadal taking too long in between points when Kyrgios was serving.
At 6-4 in the breaker, ahead of Nadal’s second match point, the Spaniard stuck his racket in the air to inform Kyrgios he wasn’t ready to play the next point. Kyrgios was not happy he couldn’t play with his natural serve rhythm and appeared to tell the umpire that it was his right while serving to decide how long the break should be in between points.
It was just one of many moments when the pro-Nadal crowd jeered Kyrgios, who gave it back to them after Nadal had left the court, sticking his hand up to his ear as sections of the crowd booed, further antagonizing them. Kyrgios responded to Nadal’s criticism by saying he would not be giving the advice any consideration.
“He doesn’t know the journey I’ve been through,” Kyrgios said. “He doesn’t know anything about me. So, I’m not going to listen at all. That’s the way I play. The way he plays is very slow in between points. The rule in the book says he has to play to the speed of the server, but Rafa has his speed every time, so I’m not going to comment on him.
“He’s got his own game. I’ve got my game. We played well. That’s the sport. People are different so I’m not going to take that into consideration at all.”
Kyrgios said he still considers Nadal one of the best players of all time.
“I’ve had a tough year so far. I started with some injuries,” he said. “I love playing Rafa, he’s an unbelievable champion. Anyway, I just love going out there and playing in big matches. I feel really good. To be able to trust my body to get wins like this is pretty important.
“It was one of the best atmosphere’s I’ve ever played in. The majority of the crowd were going for Rafa. He’s going to get that wherever he goes. He’s an unbelievable player. One of the greatest of all time. So just to be able to be a part of that atmosphere … it was a match that I’ll never, ever forget.”
Nadal’s scathing response cast a shadow over Kyrgios’ epic comeback.
The win gave Kyrgios a perfect 5-0 record against Nadal in tiebreaks and sets up another salivating clash between him and Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals.
It was arguably Kyrgios’ best win in two years.
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