Rafael Nadal: 'Nick Kyrgios has passion, he is very tough to play against'

In an interview to Sporting News following the Fast 4 exhibition match in Sydney on Monday, the 17-time Grand Slam winner praised the Australian . The Spaniard said: Hes one of the best players in the world no doubt he has the passion to play.

Hes one of the players that is very tough to play against, especially in this format, so it was great to play with him tonight. I enjoyed it, hes able to create special shots and hes very talented. It was a great show.

Nadal also said he enjoyed a lot the atmosphere in the match he played against Kyrgios: I dont have the chance to play a lot in Sydney, but the crowd supports this event and I enjoy it every single time.

Being honest, the fans here in Australia are fantastic, Ive always had a great connection with them and I enjoy it playing in front of them. They enjoy sport a lot and they understand tennis. Kyrgios said: I beat him (Nadal) when I was 19, so I know Im capable for beating the big four.

Ive proven myself to be able to play big matches its more about the day-to-day consistency and showing up every day. Thats more of a challenge for me. The level was high today in the singles, so obviously Ill take that as confidence.

Nadal leads head to head meetings 3-2 against Kyrgios. The Spaniard won in 2016 Rome, 2017 Madrid and 2017 Beijing. Kyrgios upset the Mallorcan in 2014 Wimbledon, 2017 Cincinnati. ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal: Worse players than David Ferrer won a Grand Slam title