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Wimbledon 2019: Rafael Nadal beats Nick Kyrgios in epic clash

By Vincent Ashitey
Wimbledon 2019: Rafael Nadal beats Nick Kyrgios in epic clash
Wimbledon 2019: Rafael Nadal beats Nick Kyrgios in epic clash
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Rafael Nadal allowed the tennis to do the talking against an irate Nick Kyrgios, who twice served underarm, to progress to the Wimbledon third round.

Australian Kyrgios spent much of the match audibly questioning Nadal's speed of play as the world number two prevailed 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3).

His constant arguing saw him handed an official warning by the chair umpire, who he later called a "disgrace".

Spain's Nadal will play Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the next round.

"He was a tough opponent," Nadal, 33, told BBC Two. "When he wants to compete, he's one of the toughest opponents you can face.

"It was an important victory for me, sometimes it's tough to see a couple of things on court. It's amazing how good he is able to play, so if he is able to forget all these things, he's potentially a Grand Slam winner."

Victory was two-time Wimbledon champion Nadal's 50th match win at the All England Club.

The meeting came just five months after their last encounter at the Mexican Open in Acapulco, when Nadal was incensed by Kyrgios' underarm serving.

At Wimbledon five years ago, the then 19-year-old Kyrgios hit a remarkable 37 aces to beat Nadal, becoming the first man outside the top 100 to beat a world number one at a Grand Slam since 1992.

The 24-year-old world number 43 told a news conference: "I know what I'm capable of.

"I'm a great tennis player, but I don't do the other stuff. I'm not the most professional guy. I won't train day in, day out. I won't show up every day.

"So there's a lot of things I need to improve on to get to that level that Rafa brings, Novak, Roger have been doing for so long. Just depends how bad I want it."

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Source: bbc