"Prime Rafael Nadal was ridiculous" - Nick Kyrgios recalls Spaniard's tweener against Novak Djokovic in Madrid Open 2011 final

Nick Kyrgios recently reacted to a video of Rafael Nadal pulling off a hot-shot between-the-legs lob winner against Novak Djokovic during their Madrid Open final clash 13 years ago.

Kyrgios has been out of action since the Stuttgart Open last June due to a wrist injury. The Aussie was also affected by a knee injury towards the end of 2022 which caused him to miss the action on the ATP tour in the first five months of 2023.

Last month, Nick Kyrgios gave a positive update to the tennis universe as he documented his first practice session in nearly a year on Instagram. And while the 28-year-old has yet to announce a definitive date of return, he has kept his fans entertained with his social media activity.

On Friday (April 26), the former World No. 13 took to his Instagram stories to repost a point from a highlight reel uploaded by TennisTV - the prime streaming service for men's tennis. In the video, Rafael Nadal came up with a tweener lob to pass Novak Djokovic at the net and bring up a triple break point in the second set.

Kyrgios praised the 22-time Major winner's shotmaking and wrote in the caption:

"Prime Rafa was ridiculous🤯😅😵," Nick Kyrgios wrote on his Instagram stories.

Nick Kyrgios on Instagram

Although the Spaniard had lost the first set 5-7, he still backed himself to pull off such an audacious shot, which even his opponent praised. That said, while Nadal broke in the first game, Djokovic was resilient enough to wrest the break back before registering a 7-5, 6-4 victory to nab his first-career Madrid Open title.

---

Nick Kyrgios on finally being fit to compete: "Super excited, wrist feels good"

Nick Kyrgios during a practice session

Nick Kyrgios posted a few snaps and a video from his first practice session in eight months in March. He was positive about his progress, writing on his Instagram stories that he was "doing all the right things" while preparing for his comeback.

"Hey, guys. As you know, it's my first hit today. Super excited, wrist feels good. Just icing it right now. Doing all the right things," Kyrgios wrote in his stories last month.

Kyrgios had a career-best season in 2022 before his knee and wrist injuries stalled his career. The Aussie reached the final at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the US Open that year which facilitated his return to the ATP top 20 rankings.

The former World No. 13, however, will have to work increasingly hard on his tour-level comeback as he is unranked due to his prolonged absence from the game.