Nadal withstands challenge from feisty foe
There is never a dull moment with Nick Kyrgios, whether he’s smacking a forehand directly at Rafael Nadal’s midsection – right at him, on purpose – and earning a staredown in return or arguing with the chair umpire or hitting a second-serve ace at 217 kmh or an underarm ace.
All of that and more – much, much more – was on display at Centre Court on Thursday, when Nadal emerged from the tumult to beat Kyrgios 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in a second-round Wimbledon match boasting all manner of dramatics, doses of animosity and delightful play.
“When he wants to compete well, he’s one of the toughest opponents you can face. Normally against me and the top guys he wants to try hard,” said Nadal, who was ranked No. 1 when he lost to a 19-year-old Kyrgios at the All England Club in 2014. “And when he’s that way, he’s very tough.”
They have been at odds more recently away from the court, with Nadal, his uncle and Kyrgios all trading barbs.
In the leadup to this meeting, Kyrgios joked that he didn’t think “me and Rafa could go down to the Dog & Fox and have a beer together,” referring to a nearby pub where the 24-year-old Australian was spotted Wednesday night.
The 33-year-old Nadal, meanwhile, observed that he was “too old for all this stuff.”
Kyrgios is capable of being as entertaining and befuddling a player as there is and showed why throughout this three-hourplus contest that overshadowed everything else going on around the grass-court Grand Slam tournament on Day 4.
The No. 2-seeded Nadal is seeking his third Wimbledon title but first since 2010. He is eyeing a 19th Grand Slam title overall, which would move him within one of Roger Federer’s record for men.
Kyrgios, ranked 43rd, hasn’t been past the quarterfinals at any major yet.
And yet, because of his talent, plenty of people agree with Nadal’s post-match assessment:
“Potentially,” Nadal said, “he’s a Grand Slam winner.”
Player fined after loss
Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic was fined his full prize money of 45,000 pounds ($56,500 US) at Wimbledon on Thursday for not meeting “the required professional standards” in his first-round loss.
Tomic, a quarterfinalist in 2011, lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 on Tuesday – a match that lasted only 58 minutes.
“It is the opinion of the Referee that the performance of Bernard Tomic in his first round match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga did not meet the required professional standards,” the All England Club said in a statement.
Tomic can appeal the decision.
After the loss, Tomic was asked if he was happy with the effort he put in.
“Next question, please,” was his answer. Fines for a lack of effort are on the rise in tennis following the introduction of a performance rule in 2018 that aims to deter players who enter tournaments while injured from retiring during first-round matches.