What happened the last time Rafael Nadal played Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon?

Rafael Nadal prevailed in a five-set Wimbledon classic against Taylor Fritz on Wednesday to book a tantalizing semifinal with combustible Australian Nick Kyrgios.

Nadal made a brisk start, bursting to a 3-1 lead, but Fritz won the next five games to take a shock lead. Midway through the second set, the Spaniard took a medical timeout but came out to restore parity.

After Fritz won a pivotal third set to edge ahead, Nadal recovered from two breaks of serve in the fourth to take the match to a decider. In a high-quality fifth set that went to a tiebreak, Nadal's early 5-0 lead proved decisive as he improved to 8-0 in Wimbledon quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Kyrgios took a less scenic route to his first Major semifinal. Playing his first Wimbledon quarterfinal in eight years - second overall - the Australian upped the ante in the decisive moments against Cristian Garin to seal a straight-sets win.

Interestingly, the first time Kyrgios made the Wimbledon quarterfinals was on his debut eight years ago. The then teenager stunned Nadal in the fourth round before losing to Milos Raonic in a fourth set tiebreak.

Three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic will play Cameron Norrie in the first semifinal, while Nadal will take on Kyrgios in what promises to be a riveting clash.

Ahead of the pair's first Wimbledon meeting in three years, here's a look at what happened when Rafael Nadal met Nick Kyrgios at SW19.

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Clinical Rafael Nadal avenges 2014 loss to Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios Day Four: The Championships - Wimbledon 2019

There was no love lost between Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios ahead of their meeting in the second round at Wimbledon in 2019.

The backdrop

Playing some of the best tennis of his career, Nick Kyrgios saved three match points to beat Nadal in a third-set tiebreak in the second round. However, throughout the match, Kyrgios riled Nadal by complaining to the umpire about the Spaniard taking too much time between his serves.

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Nadal responded by accusing the Australian of disrespecting the crowd, himself and his opponent.

“He’s a player who has enormous talent, could be winning grand slams or fighting for the No. 1 ranking. (But) He lacks respect for the crowd, his opponent and towards himself,” Nadal said.

The Spaniard's uncle, Toni Nadal, stoked the fire, saying Kyrgios lacked 'education' and 'smartness':

“He (Kyrgios) lacks education and smartness. He should be fighting for the top-rankings and instead, he is No. 40."

Kyrgios responded by taking a swipe at Nadal:

“He’s my polar opposite… and he’s super salty. When he wins, it’s fine; he will credit the opponent. But as soon as I beat him, he has no respect for me, my fans or the game… and I’m like ‘what are you talking about?!’”

The Australian also took a dig at Toni Nadal, calling him an 'idiot'.

The Nadal-Kyrgios match at 2019 Wimbledon

A day before the marquee match, Kyrgios was spotted at a nightclub at 2300 hrs BST.

The next day, it was time for Rafael Nadal to respond, and he chose to let his racquet do all the talking. The Spaniard took the opening set 6-3 to draw first blood, but there was drama aplenty as well.

Nick Kyrgios accused Rafael Nadal of not playing to the server's rhythm and taking too long to get ready to receive serve. He also tried to catch the Spaniard offguard by throwing in an underarm serve, but to no avail as Nadal took the first set. Kyrgios also complained to the umpire about the Spaniard taking a comfortable break at the end of the set.

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The Australian got down to business in the second, breaking Nadal twice to level proceedings but not before he spat on Centre Court and had an argument with the umpire.

The animosity between both players spilled over to the third set. Kyrgios hit a forehand volley straight into Nadal's body, eliciting a stare from the Spaniard. Nadal responded by letting out a colorful collection of words in Spanish after clinching the set on a tiebreak.

In a relatively quiet fourth set that required another tiebreak, Nadal once again emerged triumphant to seal his spot in the third round. It was Nadal's 50th win at SW19.

After the match, Rafael Nadal was effusive in his praise of Nick Kyrgios, saying that the Australian, minus his histrionics and shenanigans, is a potential world-beater.

"When he wants to compete, he's one of the toughest opponents you can face," said Nadal. "It was an important victory for me, sometimes it's tough to see a couple of things on court. It's amazing how good he is able to play, so if he is able to forget all these things, he's potentially a Grand Slam winner."

The aftermath

Rafael Nadal went on to reach the semifinals, where he was beaten in four sets by eight-time champion Roger Federer. The two-time winner returned to Wimbledon after three years and made another semifinal.

Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios lost in the third round to Felix-Auger Aliassime in 2021 before reaching his first Wimbledon (and Major) semifinal this year, where he'll play Nadal.

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What's expected in Rafael Nadal's third Wimbledon clash with Nick Kyrgios?

The build-up to the pair's third clash at Wimbledon has been far less dramatic than their second.

Nick Kyrgios and controversy cannot stay too far away. He was accused of bullying by Stefanos Tsitsipas in their third-round match. However, the Australian has also played lights-out tennis this week and has not thrown in the towel. He survived a five-set battle with Brandon Nakashima in the fourth round to reach his first Wimbledon quarterfinal in eight years.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal has not looked at his fluent best this fortnight but has shown his character and customary grit to reach his eighth Wimbledon semifinal. However, he has lost at this stage of the competition in his last two appearances - 2018 (Novak Djokovic) and 2019 (Federer).

Ahead of his semifinal with Nadal, Kyrgios has said that the pair share mutual respect for each other. That sets the stage for both players to let their tennis do the talking. However, as is the case with all things Kyrgios, it remains to be seen which version of the Australian turns up on Centre Court on Friday.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal sounded coy about taking the court for the semifinals following an abdominal injury sustained during his victory over Taylor Fritz.