Former Wimbledon champion believes Kyrgios can "beat them all, except Nadal on clay"

French former professional tennis player Marion Bartoli finds Nick Kyrgios to be an extremely flamboyant player who has the ability to beat anyone on his day, with notable exceptions like Rafael Nadal on clay courts.

Kyrgios and Nadal have faced each other nine times to date, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head 6-3. They were scheduled to meet in the semifinals at Wimbledon this year before the 22-time Grand Slam champion withdrew from the tournament due to an abdominal injury.

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Kyrgios’ three victories against Nadal have come either on hardcourts or on grass, with the Aussie losing both his contests to the Mallorcan on clay — 2016 Rome Masters and 2017 Madrid Masters.

In a program called ‘Les Grandes Gueules du Sport’ on RMC Sport, former World No. 7 Bartoli gave her thoughts on the 27-year-old Kyrgios’ strengths and weaknesses.

“That Kyrgios is a kicker, a player who feels the excitement of big games, a player who isn't afraid to take on the big guys, that's obvious,” she said, adding, “For me he will always be an extremely flamboyant player, who will have the ability in a match to get them all, except [Rafael] Nadal on clay and a few [other] exceptions. But becoming a cador on the circuit by being present every week is not Nick Kyrgios' trademark.”

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The 2013 Wimbledon champion believes that while Kyrgios is a great player, he will not dominate the men’s circuit as he doesn’t compete every week each season.

“To manage to be a cador of the circuit, it is necessary to hold all the year," stated Bartoli. "Already on clay, he doesn't want to hear about it because for him it's not a tennis surface. So already you take three months off the season including a Grand Slam tournament."