Nick Kyrgios has shared an emotional reaction to Rafeal Nadal’s retirement declaring the tennis legend an ‘inspiration’.
The 22-time grand slam champion announced his decision to finish in the sport after the Davis Cup Finals via a social media video posted on October 10.
Kyrgios and Nadal have had a complicated history which includes nine head-to-head meetings, with four at grand slams.
MORE: Rafael Nadal to retire: Career history and grand slams won by Spanish great as he quits tennis after Davis Cup Finals
In a series of posts on X, Kyrgios paid tribute to Nadal, stating the Spanish icon brought the best out of him.
“Rafa don’t retire I wanna play you 1 last time,” Kyrgios wrote.
“We had our differences but you were one hell of a warrior. Best wishes and goodluck with whatever comes next.
“Damn. I’ve had nightmares that have woke me up about Rafa. I’m gonna miss them. This was someone that I used to prepare for. He was a motivation – I guess an inspiration. Fuck – it’s true- people do bring the best out of you. You were one of those people damn…..”
Damn. I’ve had nightmares that have woke me up about Rafa ☹️ I’m gonna miss them. This was someone that I used to prepare for ☹️ he was a motivation – I guess an inspiration. Fuck – it’s true- people do bring the best out of you. You were one of those people 🙏🏽 damn…..
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) October 10, 2024
Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios head-to-head, rivalry
Kyrgios burst on to the tennis scene in 2014 when he defeated Nadal in the fourth round at Wimbledon as a 19-year-old.
However, the Spaniard won six of the nine meetings between the duo, including victories at Wimbledon 2019 and Australian Open 2020.
A feud between the pair simmered in 2019 when Kyrgios accused Nadal of taking too long between serves as he won their contest at Acapulco.
After the match, Nadal said: “He lacks respect for the public, the rival and towards himself.”
At Wimbledon in 2019, Kyrgios admitted to aiming a shot at Nadal’s chest and refused to apologise.
Rafael Nadal’s retirement
Nadal explained via his social media announcement that he had agonized over the “difficult decision” to retire, but had ultimately accepted his body could no longer withstand the rigors of the professional circuit.
Widely considered to be one of the greatest players in history, Nadal has struggled with injuries in recent seasons and has not played since losing to Novak Djokovic at the Olympic Games in Paris back in July.
“I’m here to tell you that I’m retiring from professional tennis,” Nadal said.
“It’s been a rough few years, especially the last two. I haven’t been able to play without limitations. It’s been a difficult decision, one that has taken me a while to make, but in this life everything has a beginning and an end, and I think this is the right time to put an end to what has been a long and much more successful career than I could have ever imagined.
“I’m very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup final, representing my country. I think it’s coming full circle, as one of my first great moments of joy was the [Davis Cup] final in Seville in 2004.”
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