Nick Kyrgios had a great season, winning 37 out of 47 matches and playing in his first Major final at Wimbledon. While never liking clay, Nick is ready to return to Paris next year, saying his girlfriend wants to visit the French capital.
Thus, Kyrgios will compete at his first Roland Garros in six years, missing the clay Major since 2018. Nick made his Major debut in Paris in 2013, receiving a wild card and debuting on the notable scene at 18. Nick reached the third round in 2015 and 2016, but it was not enough to keep him entertained on the slowest surface, missing Roland Garros after an early exit in 2017.
Nick competed in Saudi Arabia last week and said he knows how to compete on clay, reaching his first ATP final in Estoril and beating Roger Federer a few weeks later. Kyrgios and Federer met in the 2015 Madrid Masters second round, and the young gun prevailed 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 in two hours and 37 minutes.
Nick fended off two match points in a thrilling clash to emerge at the top on the fast clay at Caja Magica. Both players produced an excellent performance, with good serving and only seven break points in the entire encounter!
Also, they hit more winners than unforced errors and stayed neck and neck all the time. Roger had a slim 91-89 edge in the shortest points up to four strokes and a more stable 36-28 advantage in the mid-range exchanges. On the other hand, Nick claimed the most extended rallies and crossed the finish line first despite winning four points less than Roger.
The match kicked off in an unusual pattern for the encounter with three tie breaks, as Federer sent a forehand long to get broken in the first game. Carried by this momentum, the youngster sailed through his service games and had a chance to close the opener with another good hold at 5-4.
The nerves started to show up, and Nick sprayed a backhand error that kept Roger in the set and allowed him to lock the result at 5-5. Two easy holds brought a tie break, and Federer claimed it 7-2 with an ace after 42 minutes for a massive steal.
Nick Kyrgios will compete at Roland Garros next year for the first time since 2017.
Kyrgios lost his focus over one questionable call and suffered a break at the beginning of the second set. He settled into a right rhythm and erased the deficit in game four after a fantastic forehand forced Roger’s error.
Federer repelled a break chance at 3-4 with a solid attack, and four more great holds sent them into another tie break. This time, Kyrgios played with more stamina. He raced into a 6-2 lead and converted the fourth set point with a service winner to push the match into a decider after 100 minutes.
The third set brought nothing for the returners, as they produced 12 quick holds to set the best possible closing of the encounter. Kyrgios opened the decisive tie break with a forehand down the line winner for an instant mini-break before Federer got it back in the third point.
The Swiss hit a massive forehand error in the fourth point but was back on level terms with a mini-break at 2-3 to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats. Two winners pushed the Aussie 6-5 up and closer to the finish line.
Roger stayed calm and won two points on serve for 7-6 and a match point. Nick erased it with a good forehand, and a service winner gave him another match point at 8-7. Federer’s service winner took care of it before Kyrgios gained another match point at 9-8 after a perfect drop shot.
Roger refused to go away. He fended it off after forcing Nick’s error and earned another match point at 11-10. The Swiss failed to return the Aussie’s serve, and the youngster went 12-11 in front after another quick rally.
Federer saved the fifth match point with an excellent forehand, but Kyrgios was too good in the next one. The youngster fired a forehand down the line to force Roger’s mistake and sealed the deal a minute later when the Swiss sent a forehand wide to celebrate a notable victory.
