Nadal's 'frosty' response to Kyrgios upset stuns tennis world
Nick Kyrgios produced a monumental comeback win over Rafael Nadal but the contest was soured by a dramatic conclusion and aftermath.
The Australian upset the world No.2 in the Mexican Open second round with a 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (8-6) win.
However, the result was close to going the other way – Nadal held three match points in the third-set tiebreak.
The Spaniard coughed them all up, and to add insult to injury a double fault handed Kyrgios his first and only match point.
‘I’LL GET BOOED’: Nick Kyrgios makes sad admission to trainer
But what happened during that late run sparked surprise.
Kyrgios, put off throughout the match by Nadal slowing down points when he was ready to serve, let the chair umpire know about it in the tiebreak.
The match continued after some jeers from the crowd but when it was all over Nadal let his frustrations boil over.
With a cold shake of the right hand, Nadal shirked a hug from Kyrgios and walked straight to his chair and off the court.
In a rare outburst during his press conference after the match, the Spaniard laid bare how he feels about his opponent.
“He’s a player who has enormous talent, could be winning grand slams or fighting for the No.1 ranking,” Nadal said.
“He lacks respect for the crowd, the rival and towards himself.”
Oh, wow. Nadal did not hold back his thoughts on Kyrgios.
"He's a player who has enormous talent, could be winning Grand Slams or fighting for the #1 ranking. He lacks respect for the crowd, the rival and towards himself." https://t.co/WhLTQ14IAO
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) February 28, 2019
What made the exchange and post-match comments more bizarre was Nadal’s sportsmanship earlier in the match.
Kyrgios, wearing tape on both knees and struggling with a back injury, fell and grabbed at his knee, with Nadal walking to the net to check on his downed rival.
Kyrgios later sparked some boos from the Acapulco crowd – albeit in between loud applause – when he put a finger up to his ear during his celebrations.
But it was the handshake that stunned tennis fans the most:
One of the coldest handshakes of Rafael Nadal's career.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) February 28, 2019
Fantastic match as Nick Kyrgios' upsets No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal 3-6 7-6 7-6 in 3 hrs 3 mins in the 2nd Round in Acapulco…NK 58 winners 49 errors & won 14 of 18 pts at net…RN 39 winners & 17 errors…Frosty handshake at the end #ATP #AMT2019 pic.twitter.com/JtdtzG2L4j
— John Horn (@SportsHorn) February 28, 2019
I think the frosty handshake was because of the serve at 6-4. Rafa had his racket up and Nick played the serve. Nick started arguing with the umpire about it.
— Nawal (@NawalNadal) February 28, 2019
I don't often find myself defending Nick, but exactly how did he act badly? Afterward? No different than Nadal with his lawn mower thrusts and fist pumps. He was better than Nadal, who didn't have enough class for a decent handshake, on the big points. Nadal's nice when he wins.
— Mark Dalessandro (@azmark1887) February 28, 2019
Kyrgios really got inside Nadal's head.
The latter missed three consecutive match points in the tiebreak, spent what felt like a year lining his bottles up at 6-6, then double faulted to offer up a match point.
Unusual. As was the briefest of handshakes that followed. #AMT2019
— Abigail Johnson (@abigailtennis) February 28, 2019
You don't often see Nadal that POd to lose (and the drive-by handshake) and Kyrgios so pumped to win. Crazy match in Acapulco. pic.twitter.com/yTY2zzS1Kw
— Tennis.Life (@tennislifenews) February 28, 2019
That handshake between Nadal and Kyrgios was……chilly. #AbiertoTelcel
— Emily (@emtob85) February 28, 2019
Very abrupt handshake by Nadal at the end. Poor sportsmanship.
— Veronica Waring (@Begbie2188) February 28, 2019
Boy that as a cold handshake at the nadal-kyrois end.
— Patti Priddy (@chattie) February 28, 2019