Nick Kyrgios shed light on what his actual preparation looked like before facing Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon four years ago.
The Australian maverick spent the night out partying in a pub until 4 a.m. before he was 'dragged' out by his agent ahead of his second-round match against the legendary Spaniard at Wimbledon in 2019. Kyrgios revealed in a tell-all Hotboxin' podcast hosted by Mike Tyson.
In spite of a hangover, Kyrgios gave a good account of himself, keeping the match on a knife edge, before Nadal's class prevailed 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. It was also the match where Kyrgios hysterically told the media he wanted to 'hit' Nadal when one of his baseline forehands clonked the Spaniard's racket and hit his chest.
Kyrgios also revisited his solitary victory over Roger Federer during their first meeting on the ATP Tour at the 2015 Madrid Masters. The Canberra native told the boxing legend it was his most memorable win on a tennis court, but he wouldn't take the champagne from the ice as he was scheduled to play another round the next day.
"There were nights when I was… I was in a pub till 4 a.m. before I played Rafa at Wimbledon one year. My old agent had to drag me out of the pub. But the first time I beat Federer was probably the most memorable. I lost in a tough four-set battle. But yeah, I feel like getting some sleep at 11 p.m. wouldn’t have hurt"
"My most memorable win I reckon was I think, probably when I beat Federer for the first time, that was the most memorable. And no (on drinking after the match), because I had to play the next day. And I was 19 and I didn’t really like… I wasn’t big on to the scene yet