The ATP fined Kyrgios for his incidents in the quarter-final match against Rafael Nadal. The organization fined him $20,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing his racket at a ball boy late in the game and $5,000 for audible obscenity.
Kyrgios gave Nadal a great battle in the desert, with the Spaniard prevailing 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours and 46 minutes. Rafa only won two points more than Nick and lost serve twice. The Spaniard also collected two breaks and prevailed in crucial moments to advance to the 76th Masters 1000 semi-final.
Kyrgios started better and earned a break in the third game of the match after a double fault from Nadal. Nick fired an ace to open a 4-2 gap and smashed a forehand winner down the line in game eight to stay in front and move closer to the finish line.
Nadal won the first break point opportunity at the last moment at 4-5 and took advantage of it after his rival’s weak forehand to level the score and extend the battle. Losing ground after coming so close, Nick lost the tie break 7-0 after a code violation and a penalty point.
The Aussie kept his composure throughout the rest of the clash, serving well in the second set and keeping the pressure on the other side. Rafa managed five good service turns and it seemed that he was going to enter the second tie break at 5-6.
Alex Corretja on Rafa Nadal
In a recent conversation with Eurosport, Alex Corretja spoke about Rafael Nadal’s rib injury and how it could impact the rest of his season. Corretja feels the injury came out of the blue, just when the Spaniard was at the peak of his powers.
“This injury for Rafa was absolutely unexpected,” Corretja said. “Honestly, he was in perfect form, with confidence, winning matches. It really was a perfect start for the season, but sometimes it can happen that when you haven’t competed for a while you start to win many sets, many matches and that sometimes causes a new injury, as has been the case this time.”
Corretja hopes the Spaniard can make a speedy recovery and compete at Roland Garros. “The real shame is that the best part of the season was coming for him: the clay. Now he is going to have to recover, go back to training, and hopefully, he can play a tournament prior to Roland Garros because really the expectations, and the hopes that he will win again in Paris, are very high.
Hopefully he will arrive in shape because I sincerely believe that it is very important that Nadal is on the circuit,” he added.
