Rafael Nadal vs Nick Kyrgios
27th January 00:00hrs
Tennis – Australian Open – 4th Round
Pick Nadal 3-1
Bookmaker bet365
Odds: 11/4 odds taken 23:09 GMT, Saturday 25 January
The draw for the 2020 Australian Open had always thrown up the exciting prospect of a fourth-round showdown between Rafael Nadal v Nick Kygrios. It is on, it is going to happen. Not only is this a great fixture between two superb-competitors, but there also isn’t much love lost between the two of them.
Australia’s Kyrgios has had run-ins with Nadal before and has already been mocking the Spaniard during this Grand Slam event. It’s going to be a fascinating spectacle one way or another. Who will let their tennis do the talking?
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Calm and collected Nadal untroubled so far
There has been nothing to trouble Rafael Nadal so far at Melbourne Park in 2020. He has sailed through to the fourth round, not having dropped a set. In his third-round match he was up against fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta and Nadal conceded just seven games throughout the contest.
Nadal looks fit, fired up and focused. Even though this is his toughest game yet, he’s the extremely short odds-on favourite for it. This is a blockbuster of a match. Nadal is a 19-time Grand Slam champion.
Aside from any potential meeting at the tournament between any of the Big Three (Nadal, Federer and Djokovic), it doesn’t get a lot better than this at the moment. Nadal has only won the Australian Open once, which was back in 2009. He has been to the final four times since then, including last year, but has been able to convert.
Nadal has made it to at least the semi-finals of each of his last seven Grand Slam appearances. He is showing no signs of slowing down and is trying to catch Roger Federer’s haul of 20 Slam titles. It has all been very easy for him so far at Melbourne Park.
He has rattled through his matches as quickly as possible. He has looked nowhere near like getting beaten at all. This is just a brilliant match-up with Nadal leading the head to head 4-3 against Kyrgios. Will the world number one, Nadal still be in the draw following this match?
Can Kyrgios get the better of Nadal again?
Last year in Mexico when the two met, Kyrgios was complaining about how long Nadal takes to serve and was up to his own antics of serving underarm. Then a war of words was fluttering between camps throughout the year, with Kyrgios calling Nadal “salty”.
During a meeting at Wimbledon, Kyrgios firing a ball straight at Nadal to try and hit his opponent did not help. Neither did more underarm serving and a warning for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Kyrios ended up losing the match in four sets.
But from seven meetings only, to have taken three wins against Nadal, Kyrgios has clearly found something. A way to handle the great Spaniard perhaps. In the last four meetings, it has been two wins each, Kyrgios winning two of the last three hard court matches.
It hasn’t been anywhere near as plain sailing for Kyrgios in the Australian Open 2020 as it has been for Nadal. After opening in the first round with a straight-sets win over Lorenzo Sonego, Kyrgios did drop a set on his way to beating Gilles Simon in the second round. Then came an absolute epic in the third round.
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Kyrgios was up against world number 16 Karen Khachanov in the third round. Kyrgios raced out to a 2-0 lead but was then pegged back. The long match was only decided by the Australian in a super tie-break at the end of the deciding set.
That extended time on the court, over four hours, is not great preparation in having to face Nadal next, one of the greatest defenders in the history of the sport. The best performance by Kyrgios at the Australian Open was a quarter-final in 2015. He hasn’t made it past the fourth round in any of his last 14 appearances at Slams.
Rafael Nadal vs Nick Kyrgios Betting Advice
Kyrgios will have a large portion of the crown behind him and will probably get up to his usual antics. It’s unlikely he is going to stay too calm on such a big occasion. However, while has had his successes over Nadal before, it’s tough to not side with the Spaniard.
Key Facts – Rafael Nadal vs Nick Kyrgios Betting Tip
- Rafael Nadal leads the head to head 3-2
- Kyrgios has won two of the last three ard court meetings against Nadal
- Rafael Nadal is a 19-time Grand Slam champion
Nadal is just in a different class still and he has been whipping through his matches at Melbourne Park. He can grind better than anyone in the game and as he showed at Wimbledon last year, he can keep his cool when things on the other side of the net aren’t exactly calm. Kyrgios, just because he is a brilliant talent, may just be worth backing to get a set but he’s unlikely to stop Nadal. Nadal 3-1 set betting it is.
The best betting odds for Rafael Nadal vs Nick Kyrgios
Rafael Nadal to win: 1/5 at Bet365
Nick Kyrgios: 7/2 at Bet365
