“I didn’t feel that anger towards Federer or Djokovic when I played them” – Kyrgios on playing Nadal

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios has admitted that he felt anger, which he used as motivation, when he had to face 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal on the tour. The former Wimbledon runner-up added that he did not feel the same way about two of the other members of the Big 3, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, the former world No 13 deep dived into his former rival Nadal, whom he beat three times in nine career meetings.

“I couldn’t stand him,” Kyrgios said. “I used to hate and despise him so much when I saw him walking around. He was one guy who always motivated me. If I played him I would get up for it and try and get the best tennis I could possibly play. I didn’t feel that anger towards Federer or Novak when I played them.

I used to hate and despise him so much when I saw him walking around.

“If I played Rafa, because everyone in our academies back home idolized him, they were like: ‘he is such a hard worker, he’s this and that.’ I was like ‘I can’t stand this guy’. I wanted to show people you could just have fun and be chilled and beat people like that.”

Nadal retired from the sport at last month’s Davis Cup while Kyrgios makes a much anticipated return to the game in the first week of the new season after missing almost all of the past two seasons due to injuries.

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