ATP 1000 Indian Wells: Rafael Nadal vs Nick Kyrgios Preview, Head-to-Head, Prediction, When and Where to Watch

Rafael Nadal is set to take on Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells). On one side, Nadal has been in a roaring form since the start of the season. However, on the other side, Kyrgios is playing his first tournament since his second-round loss at the Australian Open.

Being the 4th seed, Nadal received a first-round bye and started his tournament campaign from the second round. In the second round, he beat Sebastian Korda. It was followed by a third-round win against Daniel Evans, followed by a fourth-round win against Reilly Opelka.

However, being out of tour since the Australian Open, Kyrgios experienced a ranking drop, making him a wildcard entrant into the Masters 1000 tournament. He started his tournament campaign with a first-round win against Sebastian Baez. It was followed by a second-round win over Federico Delbonis. Having a firm play, Kyrgios further went on to beat the 8th seeded Casper Ruud in the third round. In the fourth round, he was scheduled to play Jannik Sinner. However, owing to illness, Sinner withdrew from the tournament, sending Kyrgios to the quarterfinals.

Nadal vs Kyrgios: Match preview

Nadal has been in a roaring form since the start of the 2022 season. Being out of the tour for 5 months, the Spaniard started his new year with a title at the ATP 250 Melbourne.

Having a confidence boost, the World No. 4 entered the Australian Open, looking to win his 21st Grand Slam. He started with 4 straight-set wins, reaching the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, he faced Denis Shapovalov. Even though the young Canadian gave a tough fight to Rafa, it was Nadal who came out victorious in 5 sets. He further went on to beat Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals, setting up a final clash with Daniil Medvedev. The rest…is history.
Having his dream run at the Australian Open, the Spanish legend further went on to win the ATP 500 Acapulco Open. Prior to entering the Indian Wells, Rafa had a win-streak of 15-0.
On the other hand, Nick Kyrgios started his 2022 season with a second-round loss at the Australian Open. Following his loss, the Australian took a break from the tour in order to recover from a knee injury he suffered in 2021. Being out for close to two months, the 26-year-old has made a comeback in Indian Wells.

Rafael Nadal vs Nick Kyrgios: Head-to-Head

Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios have met 8 times in their careers. 4 times on the hard court, 2-times on grass, and 2-times on clay.

The two first met at the 2014 Wimbledon, with Kyrgios winning in 4 sets. Eyeing revenge, Nadal won the next two matches in 2016 Rome and 2017 Madrid. Making a comeback, Kyrgios went on to beat Nadal at the 2017 Cincinnati Open. Their 3rd meeting of 2017 took place in Beijing with Nadal in straight sets. Even though Kyrgios made a comeback at the 2019 Acapulco Open, it is Nadal who has won the last two meetings between them.

Nadal leads 5-3 against Kyrgios in the head-to-head race.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in three sets

Rafael Nadal has been in a roaring form, eyeing to win his 4th title of the season as well as the tournament. Even though Nadal has won two of the previous three matches in straight sets, the game margin has been a point to notice. Out of the 6 sets won in the tournament till now, only one set has been won with 6 games. Other than that, all the sets are on either 7-5 or 7-6.

Also read- ‘I Hope That Jannik Gets Better’ – Nick Kyrgios Sends a Heartfelt Message to Jannik Sinner After His Withdrawal From the Indian Wells 2022

On the other hand, unlike Nadal, Kyrgios has won all 6 sets with 6 games. Also, looking at the head-head-head stats, Nick Kyrgios has won 2 out of the 4 meetings on the hardcourt. Even though Nadal won the first of the other two matches with ease, Kyrgios pushed Nadal to raise his level in order to win the second one.

When and Where to watch Nadal taking on Kyrgios

Nadal vs Kyrgios is scheduled as the third match on Stadium 1. As per the schedule, the match will not start before 3 PM local time (GMT+7).

Fans in the USA can enjoy the match on the Tennis Channel. Whereas, the UK can enjoy the action on Amazon Prime Video. Fans in Canada can enjoy Nadal vs Kyrgios on TSN and TVA. However, fans in India can watch the live-action on VOOT.

Watch this story- Nick Kyrgios gets involved in a locker room fight after defeating the top-seeded doubles team 

Fans around the world can also enjoy the live action on Tennis TV.

For further details related to the broadcast, click here.