Nick Kyrgios mocks Sebastian Korda for 'idol worshipping' nemesis Rafael Nadal after loss

Tennis new-age 'bad boy' Nick Kyrgios is making headlines once again. Kygios has been out of the tennis circuit since February but has made sure his presence is felt online. The outspoken Australian has been very active on social media since the pandemic brought the world to a halt earlier this year. This month, he took on the 20-year-old American, Sebastian Korda. 

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Nick Kyrgios pins Korda's loss on excessive respect for Rafa

Almost every young player on the tour has grown up idolising Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. For many of these players, a day comes when they get to play opposite their idols as well. This was the case for Sebastian Korda, who got the chance to play his idol, Rafael Nadal in round four of French Open 2020.

For Nick Kyrgios this moment came when he first played his childhood idol, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. While Kyrgios got the better of his idol, Korda looked less than impressive, managing to win only four games in his straight-set loss to Rafa. 

After the game, Korda posted a video of himself getting a signed shirt from Nadal in the dressing room as a keepsake of this momentous occasion. He captioned the video: "Has anyone ever asked an opponent for an autograph after the last point of a match? Best moment of my life. Thank you so much Rafael Nadal." While this would seem like quite a normal thing for a fan to do when meeting an idol, Nick Kyrgios thinks otherwise. 

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Under the video posted on the ATP Tour page, Nick Kyrgios made his thoughts known, commenting, "Probably why he got destroyed." The Australian implied that Korda's excessive awe of Nadal made him unable to put up a fight against the World No. 2 and cost him a fighting chance. While the point doesn't seem entirely unreasonable, a more grounded reason for Korda's loss could be his inexperience going up against a 19-time Grand Slam champion. 

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Kyrgios vs Nadal rivalry

Popularly, Kyrgios is not just unawed by, but rather overtly aggressive against the bigger names. The rivalry started with a 19-year-old Kyrgios, ranked 144th defeating then No. 1 Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014. The rivalry has only become more contentious since. The pair's last meeting in round four of the Australian Open 2020 produced drama that very few tennis matches have produced. Kyrgios admitted that he had tried to - and succeeded - hit Nadal in the chest with a forehand during the game.

He also made a number of underarm serves - his latest weapon in losing conditions. Kyrgios also said that would not be apologizing for the shot because: "Why would I apologise? I mean, the dude has got how many slams, how much money in the bank account? I think he can take a ball to the chest, bro. I’m not going to apologise to him at all." Kyrgios' irreverence has brought him some success giving him a close 3-5 head to head against Nadal. 

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Image Credits: Sebastian Korda Twitter & ATP Tour website