Nick Kyrgios Teases Rafael Nadal Again

Published 01/09/2020, 11:30 AM EST

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Nick Kyrgios believes his cheeky underarm serve is a superlative weapon to disrupt his opponents’ balance on the court. The Australian often uses his unconventional underarm serving antics and he maintains it is an absolutely legit tactic. He feels that if the underarm serves can get into the head of Rafael Nadal, then it is a successful tactic for him.

Nick Kyrgios has once gone to his deceptive underarm service during his singles rubber against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie at the ATP Cup 2020. The hot-headed was emphatic about continuing to hit underarm serves to unsettle his opponent.

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“I’ve got an edge straightaway”: Nick Kyrgios

Kyrgios tumbled Rafael Nadal last year when he caught the Spaniard off-guard with his cheeky tactics en route to the title in Acapulco. The 24-year-old’s sneaky ploy was once again successful at the ongoing ATP Cup as it caught Norrie by surprise in just the second service game of the match.

Also Read: “I’ve Done Some Stupid Things As Well”- Nick Kyrgios On Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Breakdown

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“I think any time in a match where the opponent stops thinking about what he needs to do and starts focusing on external things like that, I think I’ve got an edge straightaway. If it gets in Rafa’s head, then it’s a success,” Kyrgios said in the post-match interview.

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“He was just getting me with the fake underarm”: Norrie

While Nadal branded Kyrgios ‘disrespectful’ for trying the underarm serve, Norrie had no issues with his tactics.

“He was just getting me with the fake underarm,” the British said. “That’s what was happening. Too good from him. He just kind of does it. It’s better than him serving 200 kilometres an hour. At least you can run up and hit the ball. I prefer it, but he actually did one today and won the point.”

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Kyrgios defeated Norrie in a business-like 6-2, 6-2 victory in the second singles rubber of the quarterfinals against Great Britain on Thursday. Earlier, Daniel Evans stunned Alex de Minaur to earn the lead for his team. However, Kyrgios and De Minaur teamed up to seal the victory for Australia in the deciding doubles match. With this victory, the hosts reach the semifinals of the inaugural ATP Cup 2020.

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Written by:

Varun Khanna

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One take at a time

Starting off as a tennis author in 2018, Varun Khanna has gone on to contribute to EssentiallySports in various capacities. After setting up interviews with the likes of Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Alizé Cornet, and Noah Rubin, Varun is now part of all major ATP and WTA press conferences and has gone on to pen more than 1300 articles for EssentiallySports. He now heads the tennis and NBA division of the organization.
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