Nick Kyrgios disappointed after Rafael Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon, fearing the final

London – Nick Kyrgios He was “disappointed” when he first heard it Rafael Nadal Withdrew from the men’s singles semi-finals at Wimbledon. He then said he only managed to sleep an hour on Thursday night and was a “stray ball of energy” while processing the news.

Nadal withdrew from the semi-finals with an abdominal injury, which means Kyrgios will run his first-ever Grand Slam final on Sunday against either of them. Novak Djokovic or cam nori.

Kyrgios said on Friday he is hoping for a “third chapter” after drawing 1-1 in his previous two matches against Nadal at Wimbledon.

I focused my energy on playing [Nadal] Tactically how I’m going to go out and play, the feelings of going out there, Kyrgios, who said he learned of Nadal’s decision while he was having dinner on Thursday, said all that kind of thing.

“But, you know, it wasn’t easy for him to do that [withdraw]. …barely lost a match this year. Maybe he wanted to go for all fours. So it won’t be easy. I hope he gets better.”

Kyrgios’ attention has now turned to Sunday’s men’s final, saying he is “very proud” of himself and that he “never thought” he would play in a Grand Slam final.

“I slept shockingly last night, to be honest,” Kyrgios said. “I probably slept for an hour with everything, like excited. I had a lot of anxiety. I was already really nervous, and I don’t usually get nervous.”

He added, “I was confused. There are a lot of thoughts in my head about the Wimbledon final. That’s all I was thinking. I was just thinking.” [about] Playing, I obviously imagine myself winning, and I imagine myself losing. everything. …I just feel like a stray ball of energy now. I just want to go out to the training ground now and hit some tennis balls and just talk. I don’t know. I want her to come already. Yes, I want the final to come already.”

Kyrgios has lost twice to Djokovic in matches, as they previously collided outside the field. However, they have become closer since Kyrgios backed Djokovic at the start of the year when he was carried away from Australia ahead of the Australian Open.

“We definitely have a little bit of friendship now, which is weird,” Kyrgios said, adding that Djokovic sends him direct messages on Instagram. “I think everyone knows there was no love lost for a while there. I think it was healthy for the sport. I think every time we played each other, there was a buzz about it. It was fun for the media, the people who were watching, all the that.

“I felt like I was almost the only kind of player and person standing by it with all that kind of drama at the Australian Open. I feel like that’s where he kind of earns respect – not on the tennis court, but I feel like when there’s a real crisis and someone is defending About you “.

This was rare in Kyrgios’ case, especially with his fellow Australians.

Kyrgios said so Leighton Hewittwho was the last Australian player to reach the 2005 US Open final, is one of the few former Australian professionals who have shown him any support.

“The only kind of great who has been supportive of me all along is Lleyton Hewitt,” said Kyrgios, who said he played with Hewitt earlier in the tournament. “He knows. He’s our Davis Cup captain, and he kind of knows I’m doing my own thing.”

It’s been an eventful two weeks for Kyrgios at Wimbledon. He was fined twice – first for spitting in a spectator’s direction after winning the first round, and then again for “audible obscenity” in the third round vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas. He overcame a shoulder injury in the fourth round. Ahead of his quarter-final match, news broke that he will be summoned to a court in Canberra, Australia, next month to face a charge of public assault.

Earlier in the tournament, he was criticized by Pat Cash for bringing “tennis to the lowest level I can see in terms of the professionalism of the games, the cheating, the manipulation, the abuse and the aggressive behavior of the referees, to the line guys” during an appearance on BBC radio.

“I mean, look, for the greats of Australian tennis, they haven’t always been kinder to me personally,” Kyrgios said. “They haven’t always been supportive. They haven’t been supportive these two weeks. So it’s hard for me to read what they’re saying about me… I’m definitely shunned by the Australian players.

“It’s so sad because I don’t get any support from any of the other Australian tennis players, the male side. Not from the players, but like the greats of the past. It’s weird that they just have a sick obsession with tearing me apart for some reason. Like, I don’t know if they They don’t like me or are they, say, afraid. I don’t know. I don’t know what it is. But it’s bad, because if it’s about opposite roles, if I see [Alex] de menor In the final, or if you see Jordan Thompson or Thansi [Kokkinakis], will be pumped. I will be impressed. I’ll get a pint of watching nuts.”