Unseeded Australian tennis firebrand Nick Kyrgios faced Rafael Nadal Thursday in the second round, and he stunned the 18-time Grand Slam champion with a pair of highly effective underhand serves.
Down 5-2 in the first set, Kyrgios noticed that Nadal was well beyond the baseline, and surprised Nadal with a game-winning underhand ace.
There’s a bit of history behind Kyrgios’ serve, which has become a signature move of his. He tried to pull off an underhand serve against Nadal in February, but mis-hit the shot. Kyrgios went on to win the match, and afterward Nadal blasted him for lacking “respect” for his opponent and the fans.
Kyrgios broke out another game-winning underhand serve in the second set, and went on to win the set to even the match.
Kyrgios also raised eyebrows midway through the set for berating the chair umpire over Nadal’s service routine.
“Wow, you’ve got so much power up there, huh? Wow, look at you. Look at you. So much power up there! Wow.”
