Nick Kyrgios revealed he was disappointed to be gifted a place in the Wimbledon final, having been determined to earn his shot at the title by beating Rafael Nadal.
But following news of that semi-final walkover, the Australian was so excited he struggled to sleep.
Kyrgios, speaking to the media on Friday, said he learned of Nadal's withdrawal with an abdominal muscle tear only shortly before the Spaniard announced his decision at a news conference.
While Kyrgios – who enjoys a feisty rivalry with the 22-time grand slam champion – sent Nadal a message on Instagram, he was yet to speak to him.
The 27-year-old had been desperate to beat Nadal, but his respect for his opponent was also evident in his words.
"Honestly, my first feeling was a bit of disappointment," Kyrgios said.
"My energy was so focused on playing him and tactically how I'm going to go out there and play, the emotions of walking out there and all that type of stuff.
"It's not the way I wanted to get to the final. As a competitor, I really did want that match – it was obviously something, as soon as I beat Garin, that I knew Rafa was a high possibility.
"It's just someone that I've had so many good battles with before. We've both taken a win against each other at this tournament, and I really did want to see how the third chapter was going to go.
"You never want to see someone like that, [someone] so important to the sport go down with an injury like that.
"He's just played so much tennis, he's had a gruelling season, so I just hope he recovers. I'm sure I'll play him again on a big stage."
He added: "But obviously it's exciting to say I'll have a chance to play for a grand slam singles title; after everything, it's pretty cool."
Indeed, so exciting Kyrgios endured "a shocking sleep" on Thursday night.
"I got probably an hour of sleep," he said. "Just with everything, the excitement, I had so much anxiety, I was already feeling so nervous – and I don't feel nervous usually."
Kyrgios was concerned the absence of a semi-final match would knock him out of what has been "a pretty good routine" in his run to a first major final.
"People will say, 'he gets another day off', but it's definitely a shock to the system, having been playing so many matches," he explained.
"You play a match at a grand slam and you know, deep down, that you have one day to wind down, let yourself relax and then go again.
"To have two and a half, three days off... today I'm going to emulate not a match scenario but I'm going to try to have a bit more of an extended practice to try to feel like I'm in that same routine.
"That can throw anyone off. At a grand slam, you want to have those matches, you want to have those competitive juices, you want to have those going, the adrenaline.
"That's just something I'm going to have to go into the final without, that semi-final experience.
"That's okay, I'm going to take the positives, rest my body a bit; it's not bad going in there feeling fresh."
World number one Swiatek sees off Xiyu in Madrid opener
World number one Iga Swiatek overcame Wang Xiyu with the minimum of fuss on Thursday to progress to the third round of the Madrid Open.
Swiatek has yet to win the title in Madrid, which is the only clay-court European event at which the Pole has not triumphed, but she got off to a flying start with a 6-1 6-4 victory over Xiyu.
"I love this place. I got to know the city a little better last year," Swiatek said. "So this time I feel more comfortable around."
Next up for the 22-year-old is a third-round tie against 27th seed Sorana Cirstea on Saturday.
Data Debrief
Swiatek has registered 150 match wins on the WTA Tour since the start of 2022. Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff are the next best with 108 wins each.
She also became the first player born this century to claim 50 combined match wins in Madrid, Rome and Roland-Garros, since the inaugural women's singles event at the Madrid Open in 2009.
Dominant Gauff double bagels Rus at Madrid Open
Coco Gauff made a flying start to her Madrid Open campaign on Thursday, recording the first double bagel main-draw win of her career as she cruised past Arantxa Rus to reach the round of 32.
Gauff needed just 51 minutes to see off 33-year-old Rus as she booked a meeting with Ukraine's Dayana Yamstremska for Saturday.
The US Open champion lost just 18 points throughout the match – eight in the opener and 10 in the second set – as she put any doubts over her recent form to bed in emphatic fashion.
Gauff's power proved too much for Rus in the opener, the third seed winning 88 per cent of points behind her first serve and converting three of four break points to go a set up in just 23 minutes.
Rus brought up four break points midway through the second set, but when she failed to convert them, Gauff punished her in ruthless fashion by reeling off another three games then finishing things with a terrific forehand winner.
Speaking after her win, the American said: "I played really well today. It was just one of those days for me… 6-0 6-0, I've never done that before, I'll probably never do it again."
Data Debrief: Gauff matches Azarenka, Halep feat
Gauff is just the third player to register a 6-0 6-0 win in the women's singles draw at the Madrid Open, following in the footsteps of two former world number ones in Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep.
The American, who only turned 20 last month, is also the youngest player to double bagel an opponent in any main-draw match on the WTA Tour since Iga Swiatek did so against Karolina Pliskova in the 2021 Italian Open final in Rome.
Nadal cruises past teen Blanch to tee up De Minaur rematch in Madrid
Darwin Blanch presented little challenge for Rafael Nadal, who dropped just one game in a convincing 6-1 6-0 triumph at the Madrid Open.
Nadal is feeling his way back to fitness, but 16-year-old qualifier Blanch offered little resistance to the 22-time major champion on Thursday.
Making his farewell appearance at the Madrid Open, where he has won five titles, Nadal needed just 64 minutes to progress to round two.
"I think today I played against an opponent with a great future in front [of him], but today, still making mistakes," said Nadal.
"I just tried to be there, be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks. It worked well. I'm happy to be through and I wish him all the very best for the future."
Nadal's reward is a rematch with Alex de Minaur, who he lost to last week in Barcelona.
Data Debrief
This game saw the largest age gap (21 years, 117 days) between two opponents in the history of ATP Masters 1000 events.
Nadal has now registered 57 wins at the Madrid Open, which is 20 clear of any other player.
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