‘Unusual’ Kyrgios can go all the way: Nadal
RAFAEL Nadal dal said Nick Kyrgios “has everything”” to succeed and that he hopes pes the Australian will fulfil il his promise despite his latest highprofile meltdown ltdown in t h e Chi n a Open final.
Kyrgios was back in the spotlight ight after he capitulated ated 6-2, 6-1 to the Spanish world numbermber one in Beijing onn Sunday, dur ing which hich he swore, argued ued with the umpire e and was docked a point. oint.
It is just the latest indiscretion n for Kyrg i o s , 2 2 , whose potential has often been betrayedyed by his t e m p e r a m e n t – including at l ast year’s Shanghai M Masters, where he was fined for “lack of best efforts” in an extraordinarye defeat to MischaMisch Zverev. Going into theth China Open ranked 19, KyrgiosK scored redemptive wi wins over Zverev and the German’sGerm brother, Alexander, beforeb his title bid unravelledunravelle in the final against Nadal.Nadal
‘Pretty much n no-show’
Kyrgios appea appeared unable to get over an incorrectinco line call in the first game a as he indulged in one of his infamousinfam running debates with the u umpire.
Nadal, the 16-time16-tim Grand Slam winner, admitted he was bemused by some of Kyrgios’sKyrgios antics.
“Of course, some moments was a little bit strange for me, something a little bit unusual,”u Nadal, 31, said.
But Nadal, for whom victory gifted him a sixth title of the season and landmark 75th ATP crown, has no doubts about Kyrgios’s talent.
“He has everything,” said Nadal, who like Kyrgios will head immediately from Beijing to the Shanghai Masters, where Roger Federer will also be in action.
“He has unbelievable good eyes. When you play against him, it looks like he has time for everything. That’s very difficult. Then, of course, he has great hands and a fantastic serve. He has everything to fight for almost all the events of the year.
“So let’s see what can happen in the future, but of course he will be a candidate for everything.”
Kyrgios (pictured, AFP) , who had been pursuing a fourth ATP singles title, displayed honest self-appraisal when he said his heavy defeat to Nadal was “typical”.
The Australian, who displayed his best in dumping out 20-year-old rising star Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, said Nadal had “destroyed” him and admitted he had failed to react professionally.
“I guess I put in a pretty good week, had some good wins,” Kyrgios said. “It’s tough to find positives when you won three games in the final.
“In the semifinal I played well, obviously beating Alex, it’s a typical type of week for me: beat a player well, then pretty much no-show.”
Writing for the playersvoice.com.au website, Kyrgios also called the final “a disappointing end to an otherwise good week”.
“I lost a bit of composure after a rough line call in the first game of the match and never really recovered,” he said. “People will have their own opinions on how the final went down but, for the most part, I was satisfied with the week and happy to qualify for my second final of 2017.