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NBA Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Picks Rafael Nadal Over Nick Kyrgios as His Favorite Tennis Player

Published 10/16/2020, 7:56 AM EDT

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via Reuters

The French Open 2020 ended with Rafael Nadal lifting his 20th Grand Slam title in Paris. Rafa has received worldwide appreciation and impressed some big names in the sports industry. One such name is the rising NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios recently posted a video on his Instagram in which the basketball player chose Nadal over him.

Kyrgios must have been disappointed since he was Antetokounmpo’s earlier favorite. But with his phenomenal gameplay of late, Nadal has made himself the favorite of quite a lot of players.

“Well, Nick, you were my favorite tennis athlete. But now it’s Nadal,” said the 25-year-old Greek basketball player in the video.

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In the video, one could also see World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas who managed to reach the semi-finals of the French Open 2020. He and Antetokounmpo are great friends. Clearly, Tsitsipas was trying to mock his friend Kyrgios in the video. The Australian played along and even wrote a sarcastic caption to go along with the video.

“Giannis and Stefanos play too well,” wrote Kyrgios

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USA Today via Reuters

Winning 20 Grand Slams is a mammoth task. What’s even more phenomenal for Nadal was that this was his 13th French Open title. The Spaniard now has 100 victories at Roland Garros. It is understandable why people from every field have praised him.

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“I just love him,” acknowledged Antetokounmpo at the end of the video. The magic of the 34-year-old tennis player seems to attract hordes of people towards him.

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Nadal won his 20th Grand Slam title at the age of 34. Roger Federer was 36 when he accomplished this feat. The Spaniard has once again opened the G.O.A.T debate. With at least three to four years left in his career, the ‘King of Clay’ will want to end his career with the most Grand Slam titles.

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Written by:

Anshul Singh

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Anshul Singh is a tennis author at EssentiallySports, currently pursuing Journalism Honors from Delhi University. Having significant experience with content, Anshul has authored over 500 tennis articles. He has previously worked as a writer and an editor for DU Express, penning riveting articles on sports, politics, and culture.
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