‘Nadal was impressed’: Nick Kyrgios shares funny video of Wimbledon practice session

Australian Nick Kyrgios and Spaniard Rafael Nadal might be eyeing each other up for a potential semifinal encounter later into Wimbledon, but for the time being, ahead of their round 4 matches on Monday, they took to court to practice on their day off.

Kyrgios beat Stefanos Tsitsipas on Saturday while Nadal was simultaneously dispensing of Lorenzo Sonego, and they will play their fourth round matches on Monday — Kyrgios against Brandon Nakashima, and Nadal against Botic van de Zandschulp. As is typical in Grand Slam events, the two players used their day off on Sunday for a casual hitting session, and were slotted in nearby courts at the same time.

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Kyrgios warmed up by hitting with his partner, Costeen Hatzi, who has been a fixture of his player’s boxes since the pair got together last year. Hatzi posted a series of videos of their session on Instagram stories, which showed them having a casual rally, before panning over to see Nadal also practicing two courts over. Kyrgios can be heard saying, “I need you to focus here, Rafa Nadal is watching.” Kyrgios would reshare the video on his own profile, along with a comment which read “Nadal was impressed”.

Kyrgios was impressive in his victory over number four seed Tsitsipas, and will be hoping to continue that momentum against American Nakashima. Nadal, meanwhile, continues his tilt at a calendar year Grand Slam, hoping to get past Van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands. With several Covid-19 forced withdrawals, injuries to top players, and several top seeds being knocked out, the draw is wide open, and both players will want to make the most of it.

2-time Wimbledon champion Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open, and will be trying to make it 3 for 3. Kyrgios, a massively talented but volatile and inconsistent player, enjoys the grass because of how it helps his huge serve, and will look to leave a mark on Grand Slam tennis with a big opportunity at Wimbledon. He won the men’s doubles at his home slam, the Australian Open, with countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Kyrgios has beaten Nadal at Wimbledon before, as a teenager in 2014 in one of the biggest matches of his career. Both players are slated to play their round 4 matches on Centre Court on Monday evening.