Rafael Nadal has been given an endorsement from one of the unlikeliest of sources, with Nick Kyrgios praising the 20-time Grand Slam champion's post-match conduct.
The Spaniard capitulated to Greece's Stefanos Tsipsipas in five sets, losing from a 2-0 position for just the third time in his career.
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It was his latest tough break in Australia, perhaps prompted by a back injury which was not helped by a stay in quarantine for two weeks.
But when Nadal asked if he had been unlucky in Australia, he could not agree and offered no excuses. His answer was branded "quality" by Kyrgios, who also gave his sparring partner a king emoji on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/NickKyrgios/status/1362182357713752068
Nadal's answer was: "We can find excuses or reasons or maybe this quarantine that we need to be more time in the room than usual, yes, maybe. But, I mean, I am not the guy that I gonna find excuses on that or gonna complain about what happened, no. Just accept.
"I never considered myself unlucky person at all. Doesn't matter the injuries that I had. I think I am very lucky person.
"The only thing that I can do is just keep going. I put myself in a position even the challenges that I faced that I was in quarter-finals with two sets up, close to be in that semi-finals.
"So have been a chance lost, yes, but life continues. I hope to keep having chances. Well, I gonna keep fighting for it."
Nadal was aiming for a record 21st Grand Slam, which may come at the French Open; the major he has won an astonishing 13 times.
The world number two had bravely battled through injuries, and earlier in the tournament both he and uncle Toni expressed their doubts over the injury cloud surrounding rival Novak Djokovic.
"In the case of the Serbian, it is surprising that so repeatedly annoyances come over him, to the point of sowing doubts about his permanence in the tournament, and then disappear overnight," Toni wrote in Spanish newspaper El Pais.
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