Nick Kyrgios responds after what Rafael Nadal has said on Andy Roddick’s latest podcast

Follow us on Google Discover

Nick Kyrgios has responded to Rafael Nadal after he made an appearance on former world number one Andy Roddick’s podcast.

Nadal, who retired last year at the Davis Cup Finals, is beginning his career away from the matchcourt after a decorated 23 years on tour.

While Kyrgios is still an active player, there have been some concerning moments in recent years related to injury.

This was highlighted at Indian Wells, where an emotional Kyrgios retired in his first round match against Botic van de Zandschulp.

Injuries have plagued the former Wimbledon finalists career in recent years, with Kyrgios even admitting retirement could be soon for him.

Before physical issues disrupted his career, Kyrgios had a fierce rivalry with Nadal that began at Wimbledon.

Nick Kyrgios responds to Rafael Nadal’s comments on Andy Roddick’s podcast

When speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick Podcast, Nadal made some notable comments about grass courts being his second favourite surface behind clay.

“Of course my game adapts well naturally to the clay but I love playing on fast courts,” said Nadal.

“It’s true that I finished my winning with a couple of US Open titles, but my second best surface was grass. Honestly I prefer to play against Novak [Djokovic] on grass than on hard courts.”

Nadal won two Wimbledon titles in his career, with his first coming in the 2008 final where he ended Roger Federer’s 41-match winning streak at the grass court major.

The Spaniard reached five Wimbledon finals overall, alongside grass court titles at Queen’s Club and in Stuttgart.

These comments from Nadal have provoked a big reaction, including from Kyrgios who backed the former world number one.

In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Kyrgios said, “Honestly Rafa on grass was ridiculous – lefty serve, great hands – can confirm was a nightmare on hard as well.”

Nick Kyrgios vs Rafael Nadal head-to-head

Nadal finished his career with a 6-3 advantage against Kyrgios, with their last meeting coming in the 2022 Indian Wells quarter-finals.

There rivalry has often been heated, beginning in 2014 when Kyrgios beat Nadal at Wimbledon as a 19-year-old.

Despite Kyrgios heaping praise on Nadal’s grass and hard court game, they are the two surfaces where he has got three victories on.

Kyrgios was never able to beat the Mallorcan on his most dominant surface, with ‘King of Clay’ Nadal winning both of their matches on the dirt.

While Nadal’s retirement continues, Kyrgios is looking to recover from the wrist injury that has put the Miami Open in doubt for him.