Rafael Nadal praises Nick Kyrgios, says he has the ‘weapons to beat any player’ ahead of 2023 Australian Open

Rafael Nadal has lauded the talents of Nick Kyrgios and claimed the Australian has the capability to win “in any tournament”.

However, he may recover from injury to feature at the Australian Open, and Nadal was keen to highlight Kyrgios’s chances of success this season.

“I know he doesn’t like a lot to play Roland Garros. That’s the only tournament that looks like he doesn’t like to play that much,” Nadal said ahead of his own United Cup bow for Spain.

“The rest of the tournaments, he played final in Wimbledon, and in New York he was close to the finals I think, with a very positive chance.

“He can win in any tournament that he’s playing. He has all the talent, the weapons to win against any player. Of course, he can.”

Nadal will use the United Cup as preparation for the Australian Open and admits he is uncertain whether his appearance in the Down Under Grand Slam will be his last.

The world No. 2 experienced a year of mixed fortunes after winning both the French and US Opens, but was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon in the semi-finals.

Nadal has often pushed through the pain barrier, and needed injections during his victory over Casper Ruud in this year’s French Open final.

He explained that retirement is not part of his plans just yet and is refusing to look too far ahead.

“As a professional you never know,” Nadal admitted.

“I mean, hopefully not. When you are at the age of 36, you never know when it’s going to be the last one. It’s obvious, but I don’t like to talk about that because I am not in that mood now. Just focus on try to play at the highest level possible and give myself the possibility to keep being competitive, to fight for anything.

“That’s my goal now. Not thinking about it being my last time here. If it’s the last time, let’s try to enjoy it as much as possible. Let’s try to create something special. But, no, I am happy doing what I am doing. I’m looking forward to keeping doing this.”

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