Watch Nick Kyrgios' amazing trick shot vs. Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon - Los Angeles Times
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Watch Nick Kyrgios’ amazing trick shot vs. Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon

Australia's Nick Kyrgios celebrates winning a game against Spain's Rafael Nadal during their match Tuesday at Wimbledon.
(Carl Court / AFP / Getty Images)
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So exactly when did you think a virtually unknown teenager ranked No. 144 in the world actually had a shot at beating the top men’s tennis player on the planet at Wimbledon on Tuesday?

Perhaps it was when 19-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios made this incredible between-the-legs shot against Rafael Nadal during the second set of their fourth-round match.

Even if Kyrgios hadn’t pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history -- becoming the first player ranked outside the top 100 to beat a No. 1 at a Grand Slam in 22 years -- we’d still be watching that play over and over.

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Sure, Kyrgios comes across as the kind of cocky jock many of us would have hated back in high school. He says things like, “I played some extraordinary tennis,†uses the hash tag #NKRising on Twitter and retweeted a meme of himself that declared, “The future of tennis is in good hands.â€

But it might just take that kind of confidence -- or arrogance -- to even attempt such a move against a player of Nadal’s stature, and then go on to actually win the match and advance into the quarterfinals in his first Wimbledon and second Grand Slam appearance.

And tell the truth -- how many times did you go back and watch that shot?

Follow @chewkiii on Twitter

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