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Lionel Messi yesterday ensured that many didn't witness the second jolt to Spain in the world of sports in a span of two weeks. When the Argentine was busy trying to find a way through the Swiss defense, a 19 year old Australian, Nick Kyrgios, was scripting the fall of World number one, Rafael Nadal. Twitter, arguably the fastest source of breaking news in these times, however slowly started to come alive. "The kid" was soon getting equal mileage to Messi! A first set victory over Nadal can’t do that. Nadal had lost all his first sets in this Wimbledon. It was the kid’s booming serve and carefree attitude which was winning hearts.
Some hours before the match, Sean Ingle of the Guardian gave the lanky Australian a realistic chance. The article said that When Kyrgios was asked whether he could really beat Rafael Nadal the reply was as short as most of his points. “Sure,” he said, with the matter-of-factness of someone being asked if they would like sugar in their coffee. Arrogance, I’d thought.
It’s not that Nadal had an off day. He hit 44 winners and only 18 unforced errors – stats to win most matches. But Kyrgios bettered it by hitting a staggering 70 winners. The scoreline read 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 when the match ended and it would be fair to say that Nadal had been out served. Kyrgios served 37 aces in total.
Kyrgios in the post match interview said that the feeling of the victory was still to seep in. Nadal however knows what it feels like. After all as a 19 year old he had done exactly the same. He had beaten Roger Federer at Roland Gaross in 2005 and announced himself to the world. If the Australian can achieve half of what Nadal has since then, tennis lovers are in for a treat.
John McEnroe has given the boy a thumbs up. “We’re watching a young boy turn into a man... We have a new star on our hands in the tennis world.” he said.
Whats remarkable is the quick transition that Kyrgios has shown. Last year he won the Boys' Singles event at the Australian Open and the Boys' Doubles event at Wimbledon. Few junior champions make it big in the world of men and to do it a year is a rarity.
With this victory Kyrgios must believe that he has what it takes to go all the way. However he needs to remember that to win a grand slam he has to slay more giants who are still in the fray.
