- Rafael Nadal believes Australian has “all the tools” to win a Grand Slam.
- Nadal will instead compete against Alex de Minaur in a round-robin singles match.
- The Australian Open begins at Melbourne Park on January 16.
Following Rafael Nadal’s statement that the Australian had “all the tools” necessary to win a Grand Slam, Nick Kyrgios shocked his teammates by withdrawing from the United Cup on Wednesday, the day before the competition.
Before the new mixed-teams competition in Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth, the volatile star withdrew, depriving fans of a matchup between him and the Spanish legend.
Nadal will instead compete against Alex de Minaur in a round-robin singles match.
Sam Stosur, the other co-captain for Australia, claimed they were unaware of Kyrgios’ departure until just before the scheduled team news conference.
We just learned about it, she said. “We continue on and try our best today.”
Although Kyrgios’ on-court conduct has frequently betrayed his potential, he had a standout year this year, reaching his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon before falling to Novak Djokovic.
He was also painfully defeated in five sets by Karen Khachanov of Russia in the US Open quarterfinals.
Nadal, who has 22 Grand Slam victories, believed Kyrgios could easily win the United Cup before the Australian withdrew.
His first opportunity of the year will come at the Australian Open, where the Spaniard is the defending champion.
In Sydney, Nadal stated, “I know he doesn’t like to play Roland Garros a lot; that’s the one tournament that looks like he doesn’t like to play that much.”
“He played in the Wimbledon final and, I believe, came quite near to reaching the quarterfinals in New York during the other events.
“He is capable of winning any competition he enters. He possesses the talent and tools necessary to defeat any opponent. Obviously, he can.
Earlier this week, Kyrgios told reporters that he was “training great, loving it, and psychologically feeling good. All that really counts is that.
On January 16, the Australian Open begins at Melbourne Park.
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