Wimbledon Match Preview: Kyrgios vs. Nadal
Published July 4, 2019 by Sol FH
A rivalry off and on the courts, as Kyrgios looks to upset Nadal at Wimbledon today at 16:15 GMT.
The first time that Rafael Nadal faced Nick Kyrgios, the then 14-time grand slam winner went down in Wimbledon flames losing to the fresh-faced youngster. At that Wimbledon, in 2014, Kyrgios was only 19-years-old and had earned a wildcard into the tournament. Nadal was shocked by this kid that was ranked 144 in the world, but, managed to hit 37 aces.
Since that time, Kyrgios and Nadal have met on six occasions, with the line right down the middle on who's won and who's lost.
Kyrgios is has built a "bad-boy" reputation for himself, and even Nadal has said that he thinks Kyrgios shows little respect. To add insult to injury, at the last meeting in February, at the Mexico Open, Kyrgios had the gall to serve Nadal underarm. It just seems like the Australian has it in for the Spaniard, without much explanation. True, after the Mexico Open, instead of letting the underarm serve go, Nadal came out and stated he believed that Kyrgios could actually win Grand Slams, but, that there was a reason he was ranked at the low spot he was at that time (72nd).
Nick Kyrgios is still young, but, he is on track to being seen even worse than John McEnroe. One thing is for sure, Nadal and Kyrgios are polar opposites. It seems like Kyrgios has a total lack of respect for Nadal, the current World No. 2, and, by way of fault, Nadal has it in for Kyrgios, at least as much as his cool temperament and sensibility will allow him.
Wimbledon Odds
Today's match will be a chance for redemption for Rafa, as he doesn't want to exit the biggest tournament of the year in the second round. Nadal is still the favorite to win today, listed at 1.28 to 3.75 (Kyrgios) by UK Sportsbook bet365 Sports. Let's just see if he can keep his cool and let his skill and experience get over Kyrgios' on and off-court antics.
