Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios are set to meet again at Wimbledon’s Center Court. This time, however, the stakes are the highest they have ever been, with the Wimbledon finals appearance for the taking.
Nadal has to work hard to secure semi-finals at this year’s tournament, being a set down twice in his quarterfinals clash against the American Taylor Fritz. The Grand Slam recorder bounced back each time and then survived a tiebreak in the fifth set to claim a memorable 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) win.
Kyrgios, on the other hand, was much more convincing. He is on to the next round after straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5)) win over Chilean Cristian Garin. The match against Nadal will be the first Grand Slam semi-finals appearance for the 27-year-old Australian.
Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios have an intriguing head-to-head history, with their best matches coming at Wimbledon. The duo first faced each other at the All England Club in 2014 in Round 16. Kyrgios, making his Wimbledon debut, beat Nadal, the world’s No. 1 one at the time, in four sets. Nadal would go on to return the favor in 2019 when he beat Kyrgios in Round of 64.
Nadal won six matches, while Kyrgios has three wins in their head-to-head clashes. They most recently faced each other in the quarterfinals of 2022 Indian Wells, with Nadal being triumphant after three sets.
