Kyrgios excited to play Nadal: "I'm going to grasp it with both hands"

LONDON—Nick Kyrgios is excited about his meeting with Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. The 24-year-old Aussie won his first-round match in five sets to set up the highly anticipated encounter.

“As soon as the draw came out, I was super happy that I saw him in my section,” Kyrgios said. “It's more exciting. When you're a kid, you want to play the best players in the world on I think it's the best court in the world. This is something that I can't take for granted. There's no guarantee I'm going to be here again in this position. Could have an injury or something like that.”

In 2014, Kyrgios, then a teenage wildcard, upset Nadal in four sets in the fourth round of the grass-court major. They are 3-3 in career meetings, with Kyrgios also winning their most recent at Acapulco this season.

"I'm going to grasp with both hands, go out there, give it my best shot,” said Kyrgios.

The pair have also criticized each other this season, with Nadal accusing Kyrgios of "lacking respect for the crowd, his opponent, and himself" while the Aussie has said the Spaniard complains about him following defeats. The issue has been Kyrgios's erratic play and behavior during matches.

His first-round win was another demonstration of this, with Kyrgios acting up and also appearing to tank the fourth set during his five-set win. He says he wants to improve while still playing his type of game.

“I don't think I figured that out yet because my behavior probably would be a little bit better. When I have a lot of energy, I play well. My emotions tend to come out a little bit more,”  Kyrgios said. “When I'm calm, I probably don't play as unpredictable, probably don't entertain as much. It's trying to find that balance.”